example vs lesson

example and lesson both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
example	Yes	No	No	No
lesson	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, lesson is a hypernym of example; that is, lesson is a word with a broader meaning than example:

example: a task performed or problem solved in order to develop skill or understanding
lesson: a task assigned for individual study

As nouns, example and lesson are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of example include deterrent example, object lesson.

example (noun)	lesson (noun)
a task performed or problem solved in order to develop skill or understanding	a task assigned for individual study
an item of information that is typical of a class or group	a unit of instruction
something to be imitated	punishment intended as a warning to others
a representative form or pattern	the significance of a story or event
punishment intended as a warning to others
an occurrence of something