What does it mean to know a word

Knowing a word means either or both receptive and productive knowing.

• Producing synonyms and opposites is also a valuable skill.
• In addition, you should be aware of the level of formality / informality of the word you are using, so that it will fit in the context.
• You cannot use every word in every context, but words are often used in chunks (eg. we say "fish and chips" and not "chips and fish"). This is called collocational knowledge and it forms the essence of fluency.