Sentence:  ...a conversion of mass nouns into count readings according to sorter and portion <WSD>coercion</WSD> is only possible if the denotation of a mass noun already comprises minimal parts into which the noun can be subdivided. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The process by which the meaning of a (word) or other linguistic element is reinterpreted to match the grammatical (context).