ladder
In German, the word 'Leiter' is used to refer to a ladder. It is a masculine noun and is used in the same context as in English. For example, one might say 'Ich brauche eine Leiter, um die Glühbirne auszuwechseln.' which translates to 'I need a ladder to change the light bulb.'
The ladder is very stable.
In this case, 'Leiter' refers to a physical ladder, signifying an object that one can climb up or down. The sentence could be used in a situation where somebody is assessing the quality or safety of a ladder.
Mr. Schmidt is the head of the finance department.
Here, 'Leiter' signifies a person who is in charge of something. It is often used in professional contexts to denote the head or director of a department. In this example, Mr. Schmidt is in charge of the finance department.
I need a ladder to change the light bulb.
In this context, 'Leiter' is used to refer to a physical ladder again. Someone needs a ladder to reach something high, in this case, to change a light bulb. 'Leiter' is a common word and can be used in various everyday situations.