They can refer to time, place, and possession, among other things.
Example
‘I insist on it' and ‘We went from here to there in 10 days'.
In the classroom
Dependent prepositions - prepositions which always go with certain language - cause problems even for advanced level learners. Memorisation and controlled practice can help, but perhaps the best way of gaining control over prepositions is through a lot of exposure to authentic language.
Further links:
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/where-are-you-prepositions-place
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/preposition-basketball
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/drawing-dictation
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/collocation-advanced-levels-1-not-entirelyproperappropriategood