Commander once more abandoning home (3)
I believe the answer is:
aga
'commander' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'once more abandoning home' is the wordplay.
'once more' becomes 'again' ('again' can be a synonym of 'once more').
'abandoning' is a deletion indicator.
'home' becomes 'in' ('he's home' can mean 'he's in').
'again' with 'in' taken out is 'AGA'.
(Other definitions for aga that I've seen before include "Turkish ruler" , "Foreign ruler" , "Overseas commander" , "Heavy metal stove" , "Swedish stove" .)