Exam English

TOEFL Complete the Words Practice Exercises

Published Updated 4 min read Editorial standards

TOEFL Complete the Words practice should make several clues agree: the visible beginning, the required word form, the sentence grammar, and the passage meaning. Guessing a sophisticated word from its first letters is unreliable.

ETS identifies Complete the Words as a current TOEFL iBT Reading task. The sets below are independently written training material, not recalled test items. Type the whole word for each blank before reading the key. Use the TOEFL vocabulary practice hub for the full task path.

Set 1: urban trees

Street trees can reduce surface temperatures in densely built areas. Their can_____ also intercepts sunlight before it reaches pavement. The amount of shade dep_____ on a tree's size and location. Young trees provide rel_____ little cover, but their contribution may inc_____ as they mature. City planners must also sel_____ species that can tolerate local conditions. A tree that requires abundant water may be unsu_____ for a dry region. When planting is carefully planned, trees can sup_____ comfort without obstructing roads or damaging nearby struct_____. Regular maintenance remains ess_____, because broken branches can create hazards. Urban forestry is therefore a long-term invest_____ rather than a one-time decoration.

Answers

  1. canopy: the subject is the overhead leaf-and-branch cover; can- and singular intercepts fit.
  2. depends: depends on is the required pattern, and the singular subject takes -s.
  3. relatively: an adverb modifies little.
  4. increase: modal may requires a base verb.
  5. select: planners choose species; must requires the base form.
  6. unsuitable: the water requirement makes the tree not appropriate for a dry region.
  7. support: shade can contribute to comfort; can requires a base verb.
  8. structures: roads and nearby built objects may be damaged; the plural parallel is natural.
  9. essential: the adjective follows remains.
  10. investment: the contrast with a one-time decoration requires a noun naming a continuing commitment of resources.

Set 2: sleep and memory

Sleep plays an important role in memory. During rest, the brain appears to org_____ information gathered during the day. Researchers dist_____ between forming a memory and stabilizing it over time. A learner may init_____ understand a concept yet struggle to recall it later. Consistent sleep does not guar_____ perfect recall, but insufficient rest can impai_____ attention and learning. This relationship is comp_____, since stress, health, and study methods also matter. Consequently, a single poor night should not be tre_____ as the sole cause of every mistake. The evidence instead sug_____ that sleep is one contributor among several. Students can use that insight to make more inf_____ choices about their routines. Broad claims should remain cau_____ when individual results vary.

Understanding is only the first step.

Lyra Practice helps you retrieve and use high-value workplace expressions in realistic situations until they feel natural.

Start a practice session →

Answers

  1. organize; the infinitive follows to. 2. distinguish; distinguish between is the fixed pattern. 3. initially; an adverb modifies understand. 4. guarantee; the meaning is ensure, and does not takes a base verb. 5. impair; insufficient rest can weaken attention. 6. complex; several interacting factors are named. 7. treated; passive be treated as needs a past participle. 8. suggests; singular evidence takes the verb ending. 9. informed; the collocation is make informed choices. 10. cautious; the adjective follows remain.

Set 3: seed dispersal

Plants use several methods to disperse their seeds. Some fruits attract animals by offering edib_____ pulp. After feeding, an animal may carry seeds far from the par_____ plant. Other seeds attach temp_____ to fur or feathers. Wind-dispersed seeds often have lightw_____ structures that slow their fall. Water can also transport seeds along rivers or coa_____ areas. No method is universally super_____; its value depends on the habitat. A heavy seed may be unsu_____ for wind dispersal but well protected during a short fall. Dispersal can red_____ competition between a young plant and its parent. It may also allow a species to col_____ a newly available site. These outcomes help explain the diversit_____ of seed shapes.

Answers

  1. edible, because the pulp can be eaten. 2. parent, the source plant. 3. temporarily, an adverb describing how long attachment lasts. 4. lightweight, a structure that falls slowly. 5. coastal, an adjective modifying areas. 6. superior, because the next clause rejects a universally best method. 7. unsuitable, because the seed is not appropriate for wind dispersal. 8. reduce, after can. 9. colonize, meaning establish in a new site. 10. diversity, a noun after the and before of.

How to review an error

Label the first clue you missed: letters, part of speech, grammar pattern, collocation, or passage logic. Then reconstruct the sentence without looking. If another word genuinely fits every clue, the practice item is underdetermined; do not train yourself to treat an arbitrary key as fact.

Use TOEFL Complete the Words: word families and affixes in Lyra Practice for the next targeted set, or return to the TOEFL vocabulary practice hub to choose another Reading task.

Sources

TOEFL is a trademark of ETS. Lyra Practice is not affiliated with or endorsed by ETS.

How precise is your vocabulary in this situation?

Take a free situation-based assessment and find the vocabulary decisions worth practicing next.

Find my vocabulary gaps

More for exam english

Exam English →
TOEFL Earth Science and Climate Vocabulary for Passages and Talks Learn TOEFL earth science and climate vocabulary for cycles, geological processes, climate evidence, feedback, scale, and uncertainty. TOEFL Economics and Business Vocabulary for Passages and Talks Build TOEFL economics and business vocabulary for incentives, markets, production, organizations, evidence, and qualified causal claims. TOEFL Email Tone Mistakes and Clearer Alternatives Repair TOEFL Write an Email tone mistakes with clearer greetings, requests, explanations, apologies, next steps, and closings. TOEFL History and Archaeology Vocabulary for Passages and Talks Build TOEFL history and archaeology vocabulary for chronology, evidence, interpretation, material remains, and competing explanations. TOEFL Interview Speaking Vocabulary Practice Practice TOEFL Take an Interview vocabulary with original prompts, precise choice language, reasons, examples, contrast, and self-check models. TOEFL Interview Vague Answers: How to Add Specific Detail Turn vague TOEFL Take an Interview answers into specific responses with bounded examples, mechanisms, contrasts, and accurate vocabulary.