Sentence:  By contrast to the latter, our method uses the nearest <WSD>neighbours</WSD> to construct lower and upper approximations of decision classes, and classifies test instances based on their membership to these approximations. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A person living on adjacent or nearby land; a person situated adjacently or nearby; anything (of the same type of thing as the subject) in an adjacent or nearby position.