WORD WEAVING I (Not original title)
Credit: GAMES Magazine
July, 2005
Stephen Sniderman

The answers to the first two clues in each set of three below can be "woven" together to form the answer to the third clue. The numbers of letters in the first two answer words are given in parentheses. For example, given the three clues

Half-quarts (5)
Corrida cheers (4)
Without meaning,

the answer to Half-quarts would be PINTS
the answer to Corrida cheers would be OLES
and these two words could be woven together to define Without meaning as POINTLESS.

The letters remain in left-to-right order and do not need to be re-arranged. The number of letters in the answer to the third clue is always 9.

1)
Wields - as power (6)
Peach, cherry, or apple (3)
Mastery

2)
Enemies (4)
Correct (5)
Prescience

3)
Firs or elms (5)
Abode (4
Triad

4)
Cave denizen (3)
Give what is due (6)
Cocktail lounge worker

5)
Quick (4)
Prank, Goofy trick (5)
Unbelievably great

6)
Excess weight, often (4)
Hut (5)
Deja vu moment, perhaps

7)
Fable (4)
Tasteless (5)
Plateau or mesa

8)
English nobility rank (4)
Whatchamacalit (5)
Person, to E.T.

9)
Kind of bathtub ((6)
Line of clothing (3)
Cobbler

Answers:

1. EXERTS - PIE -EXPERTISE
2. FOES - RIGHT - FORESIGHT
3. TREES - HOME - THREESOME
4. BAT - RENDER - BARTENDER
5. FAST - ANTIC - FANTASTIC
6. FLAB - SHACK - FLASHBACK
7. TALE - BLAND - TABLELAND
8. EARL - THING - EARTHLING 
9. SOAKER - HEM - SHOEMAKER 

NOTE from JA: This puzzle can be made more challenging if you mix up the order of the clues in each set, as in the original version. 

Original title: THREESOMES