stringer

1. Someone who threads something; one who makes or provides strings, especially for bows.
2. Someone who strings someone along.
3. A horizontal timber that supports upright posts, or supports the hull of a vessel.
4. The side rail supporting the rungs of a ladder or the steps of a flight of stairs.
5. A small screw-hook to which piano strings are sometimes attached.
6. A freelance correspondent not on the regular newspaper staff, especially one retained on a part-time basis to report on events in a particular place.
7. A person who plays on a particular string.
8. Wooden strip running lengthwise down the centre of a surfboard, for strength.

Plural stringers