LIFE is a hinge word: 4 words make a compound in front of it and 7 make one after it, so it can sit in the middle of a chain and hold two compounds together at once.
Each of these makes a compound ending in LIFE.
Each of these makes a compound starting with LIFE.
LIFE hinges cheerfully despite its irregular plural. WILDLIFE and NIGHTLIFE are kinds of life; LIFEBOAT, LIFEGUARD and LIFETIME are things that preserve or measure it.
Put any word from the first list in front and any word from the second behind, and you have a three-word chain in which both neighbouring pairs join. Here are some of them.
AFTER → LIFE → BLOOD — afterlife and lifebloodLOW → LIFE → GUARD — lowlife and lifeguardNIGHT → LIFE → LESS — nightlife and lifelessWILD → LIFE → LINE — wildlife and lifelineKEYSTONE is a free daily puzzle built entirely out of chains like these. You get the two ends and have to fill the two words in the middle. Three bridges a day, no account, no cookies.
Each of these has a page like this one. There is also an index of all 27.
BACK · BALL · BED · BOARD · BOOK · BREAK · DAY · DOWN · FALL · FIRE · GUN · HAND · HEAD · HOUSE · LAND · LIGHT · MAN · NIGHT · OFF · OUT · OVER · SIDE · SOME · TIME · WAY · WORK