It's no secret. Usage, usage, usage. I don't meant that sarcastically. There's no other way. Isn't that how we learn our native language?

Try to learn vocabulary in context and use the new words in conversation!

i believe that the better way to learn vocabulary is conversation , in real situation , since you can remember the whole picture,  it is easier to remember when you the person who said the word and place where you heard the word 

my suggestion is to use more multimedia sources for learning rather than books.try watching more tv series.they are really helpful for learning vocabulary and also correct grammatical structures.