Debt
Dent
Bent
Beat
Seat
Slat
Slay
Play
Plan

Change "Fall" to "Down"

Fall
Fell
Felt
Belt
Bolt
Boot
Moot
Moon
Mown
Down

Change "news" to "stew".

News
Nets
Pets
Sets
Sees
Seem
Stem
Stew

Change "Tiny" to "Pups"

Tiny
Tins
Pins
Pips
Pups

Change "bird" to "drip".

Bird
Bind
Bend
Bond
Bold
Bolt
Boot
Coot
Coop
Crop
Drop
Drip

Change "Meow" to "Cats"

Meow
Meos (cheating here as it's a proper name, referring to people living in isolated mountain villages in south-east Asia - in the manner of "Americans" or "Britons")
Moos
Coos
Cots
Cats

Change "swim" to "lake".

Swim
Slim
Slam
Seam
Seal
Sell
Bell
Ball
Bale
Bake
Lake

Change "whey" to "curd".

Whey
When
Whet
What
Chat
Coat
Cost
Lost
Lose
Lore
Lure
Cure
Curd

Change "Baby" to "Crib"

Baby
Babe
Bane
Bans
Tans
Tens
Teas
Team
Tram
Cram
Crab
Crib

Change "used" to "sore".

Used
Uses
Ukes
Ekes
Ewes
Owes
Owed
Awed
Aped
Sped
Seed
Sees
Sets
Sits
Site
Sire
Sore

Change "Blow" to "Hard"

Blow
Blot
Boot
Hoot
Hood
Hold
Held
Herd
Hard

Change "pray" to "yarn".

Pray
Play
Ploy
Plot
Blot
Boot
Coot
Cost
Cast
Cart
Card
Yard
Yarn

Change "Able" to "Cane"

Able
Ably
Ally
Alla (musical term, as in "alla breve")
Alma (as in "alma mater")
Alms
Aims
Dims
Dams
Dame
Came
Cane

(That one was hard work!)

Change "crib" to "rare".

Crib
Crab
Grab
Gram
Tram
Team
Term
Perm
Pert
Part
Pare
Rare

Change "bake" to "cook".

Bake
Cake
Coke
Core
Cork
Cook

Change "owns" to "move".