In my experience, it's actually easier to memorize a sentence than to actually learn the principles behind something. (Turns out this is also true for neural n

In my experience, it's actually easier to memorize a sentence than to actually learn the principles behind something. (Turns out this is also true for neural networks, and there are loads of techniques for counteracting it.) So OK, to counteract memorization and lack of contextualization, you have 5-6 sentences with the same word. But now Anki doesn't know that they're related, so the SRS system can't actually space out the learning the way it wants to. With the system I developed, you're given a full phrase / sentence / paragraph / section / chapter, and it separately tracks the words or grammar elements you've seen, in a way similar to that described by OP. So you're always actually reading native content, of which much of the content will be new even if the words are already known to you.