Sentence:  His repeated experimentation with the techniques of fiction testifies to an independence of mind and an originality of approach , but it also shows him touching at <WSD>many</WSD> points the stream of literary development back of him . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by `as' or `too' or `so' or `that'; amounting to a large but indefinite number