English question from Jr. Assistant exam, 2026 by JKSSB
In which sentence is the word "bank" used as a homonym when compared to its use in the sentence below?
She deposited the cheque at the bank.
Last updated Jun 24, 2026
Correct Answer:
Option B —
The children played on the bank of the river after school.
Understanding Homonyms
In linguistics, a homonym is a word that shares the same spelling and pronunciation as another word but has a completely different, unrelated meaning.
Original Sentence: "She deposited the cheque at the bank."
Here, bank refers to a financial institution.
Option B: "The children played on the bank of the river..."
Here, bank refers to the land alongside a body of water.
These two meanings are etymologically unrelated—they come from different historical roots. This makes them "true homonyms."
Why the others are incorrect:
Option A: "To bank an aircraft" means to tilt it. While it is technically a homonym, in the context of academic English and exams, the distinction between a financial bank and a river bank is the classic, most precise example used to test homonymy.
Option C & D: These sentences use "bank" in the same sense as the original sentence (a financial institution). Because the meanings are related (or identical), this is known as polysemy (one word with multiple related meanings) or simply the same word in a different context.
Answer verified by Quintessence Classes faculty — Karan Nagar, Srinagar.
