At the age of 80, she's 'riding a/the wave of' renewed interest in her work. [=she's experiencing a time when many people are interested in her work again]
The traffic cop 'waved' cars 'through'. [=waved in a way that told drivers to continue driving through a particular area]
The new school has triggered a 'wave' of optimism [=has made many people feel optimistic] about the public school system.
(..) at the moment. The Arsenal youngsters are the ones rising to the occasion. Forward for Arsenal again. It's wave after wave of Gunners attacks. It's Freddie Ljungberg here. And out comes Casillas. Man of the match for Real Madrid in this first half, he really has been. (..)2007 Goal II: Living the Dream