Fawn in wood beside lake (6)
I believe the answer is:
grovel
'fawn' is the definition.
(I know that fawn can be written as grovel)
'wood beside lake' is the wordplay.
'wood' becomes 'grove' (grove is a kind of wood).
'beside' means one lot of letters go next to another (I've seen this in other clues).
'lake' becomes 'L' (geographical abbreviation).
'grove'+'l'='GROVEL'
'in' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for grovel that I've seen before include "Show extreme humility" , "Behave obsequiously in fear or servitude" , "Display abject humility" , "Humble oneself in supplication" , "Cower, abase oneself" .)