stake

A piece of wood or other material, usually long and slender, pointed at one end so as to be easily driven into the ground as a marker or a support or stay.

(croquet) A piece of wood driven in the ground, placed in the middle of the court, that is used as the finishing point after scoring 12 hoops in croquet.

A stick inserted upright in a lop, eye, or mortise, at the side or end of a cart, flat car, flatbed trailer, or the like, to prevent goods from falling off.

(with definite article) The piece of timber to which a person condemned to death was affixed to be burned.

A share or interest in a business or a given situation.

That which is laid down as a wager; that which is staked or hazarded; a pledge.

A small anvil usually furnished with a tang to enter a hole in a bench top, as used by tinsmiths, blacksmiths, etc., for light work, punching hole in or cutting a work piece, or for specific forming techniques etc.

(Mormonism) A territorial division comprising all the Mormons (typically several thousand) in a geographical area.