STEP is a hinge word: 2 words make a compound in front of it and 5 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 STEP.
Each of these makes a compound starting with STEP.
STEP is two unrelated words wearing the same spelling. One is the pace or the stair (DOORSTEP, OVERSTEP); the other is the step- of family by remarriage, from an Old English word for bereaved, which gives STEPFATHER, STEPMOTHER, STEPBROTHER, STEPSISTER and STEPSON.
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.
DOOR → STEP → BROTHER — doorstep and stepbrotherOVER → STEP → FATHER — overstep and stepfatherKEYSTONE 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 54.
AWAY · BACK · BALL · BED · BLACK · BOARD · BOOK · BOY · BREAK · CHECK · DAY · DOOR · DOWN · FALL · FATHER · FIRE · GROUND · GUN · HAND · HEAD · HOOD · HOUSE · LAND · LESS · LIFE · LIGHT · LINE · LOAD · MAN · MOTHER · NIGHT · OFF · OUT · OVER · PAY · POINT · POST · POWER · ROOM · RUN · SHIP · SIDE · SOME · SUN · TAKE · TIME · TURN · UNDER · WALK · WATER · WAY · WOOD · WORK