undeserved, underserved

Undeserved or undeserved means not earned through one's merits or behavior--
He still claims that he's not guilty, and that his punishment is undeserved.
The other workers resent him; they're sure his promotion was undeserved.

Underserved or underserved means lacking adequate service or care, most commonly meaning medical care or social services--
This community has been underserved for years, so we are planning to open a new clinic.
This is an underserved rural area; people have to travel for hours to get to a doctor.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The mayor says this neighborhood is underserved and needs the money, but the council decided the grant was undeserved."

confirmation, conformation

Confirmation or confirmation means acknowledgement of the truth or accuracy of something--
The most damning testimony was the confirmation of the evidence by an eye witness.
His confirmation of the rumor was shocking.

Confirmation also means validation or assurance--
Where's the confirmation for our plane reservations?
The travel agent offered guaranteed confirmation of our hotel reservations.

Confirmation also means strengthening in habit or resolution--
Each day he wrote again a confirmation of his resolution to remain sober.
Confirmation may mean a religious ceremony of formal acceptance into the church--
There will be a Confirmation ceremony in the church next Sunday.

Conformation or conformation means structure, form, or the arrangement of parts--
The conformation of the interior pipes will make this difficult to repair.

Conformation also means adaptation or adjustment--
We are trying to stress the need for conformation with social norms.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The religious Confirmation ceremony is also a confirmation of the desire for social conformation."

apothegm, apothem

Apothegm or apothegm means a short, instructive saying--
The old man knew a memorable apothegm for every occasion.
"A stitch in time saves nine" is his favorite apothegm.

Apothem or apothem ( rhymes with apothegm ) means a line from the center of a regular polygon to one of its sides, perpendicular to the line that makes the side--
The apothem of an octagon is like the radius of a circle.
He has a geometry test tomorrow, and he can't remember what an apothem is.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"If you can't remember what an apothem is, just think of the old apothegm "two wrongs don't make a right".

combination, commination

Combination or combination means a set of things or people joined into a whole, or united--
He credited his success to a combination of hard work and good luck.
That color combination looks old-fashioned.
This is a combination of spinach and lettuce; try it.

Combination may also mean the code or set of numbers used to set or open a lock--
I can't open my locker; I forgot the combination.
You can reset the combination on this lock, but be sure to remember the numbers.

Commination or commination means a threat of punishment or vengeance; a denunciation--
The preacher's sermon was nothing but a commination, a threat of the wrath of God.
This old Ash Wednesday commination still inspires soul-searching.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The minister's combination of modern examples with old-fashioned commination made an impression on the congregation."

getaway, get away, gateway

Getaway or getaway ( one word ) describes something used for escape, or for fleeing the scene of a crime--
The bank robbers were sentenced to twenty years, and the man who drove the getaway car to ten.
Getaway may also mean an escape, literally or figuratively--
They planned the crime carefully, but forgot the getaway.
They are planning a weekend getaway in the mountains.
They are planning a getaway with a few close friends.

Get away or get away ( two words ) means to move out of the range of, or apart from--
He wants to get away from it all when they retire.
That's dangerous! Get away!
Get away from the window!
Get away may also mean to escape--
How did they plan to get away from the police?
"Get away with" means to avoid detection or punishment for an infraction of some kind--
I can't believe they expected to get away with this!
Some people think they can get away with murder!

Gateway or gateway ( one word ) means an entrance or passage, closed by a gate, literally or figuratively--
The gateway is at the end of the lane.
This product may open a gateway to new markets.

Now that you know that, you can say--
'They drove the getaway car through the closed gateway, in an attempt to get away from the guards."

precious, precocious

Precious or precious means of great value, monetary or sentimental--
Gold, silver, and platinum are precious metals.
Pack Grandmother's photographs carefully; they're precious.

Precocious or precocious describes uncommonly early development, most commonly used to refer to the mental development of children--
The child is precocious in speech, but he doesn't get along with the other children.
She is trying to teach toddler to read; she hopes he'll be precocious.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She encourages the children to be precocious; he thinks it's a waste of their precious early years."

cross-eyed, cross I'd

Cross-eyed or cross-eyed describes someone with strabismus; someone whose eyes turn out or in, instead of looking straight ahead--
He seems cross-eyed; we're going to take him to the eye doctor.
Gladly, the cross-eyed bear went over the mountain.

Cross I'd or cross I'd ( rhymes with cross-eyed ) means  a structure or symbol made of an upright piece or line, with another piece or line set over or through it, horizontally ( cross ) that the speaker would ( I'd ) [ perform some action  on or with ]--
That's the cross I'd buy for her birthday, but I don't know if she'd like it.
"Gladly the cross I'd bear..."

Now that you know that, you can say--
"We nearly became cross-eyed, looking for the cross I'd lost."