FLC OF A B737-200. OVERSHOT DSCNT XING ALT DUE TO A MISUNDERSTANDING.

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FROM CMH TO DCA; THE CAPT WAS GIVEN A CLRNC TO CROSS 45 MI W OF AML AT 14000 FT. THE CAPT WAS FLYING AND TALKING TO ATC. I; THE FO; WAS TALKING TO THE COMPANY TO GET GATE INFO AND TO GET THE ATIS. WHEN I CHKED BACK IN WITH THE CAPT; HE TOLD ME THE CLRNC HE HAD RECEIVED; AND I COULD SEE WHERE HE HAD WRITTEN THE CLRNC ON HIS SCRATCH PAD. ZDC HAD GIVEN HIM THIS CLRNC. WHEN WE WERE APCHING 14000 FT; ZDC TOLD US TO CONTACT DULLES APCH. WE CONTACTED DULLES WITH THE ALT WE WERE DSNDING OUT OF; TO THE ALT OF 14000 FT. WHEN WE WERE LEVEL AT 14000 FT; DULLES ASKED WHAT OUR ALT WAS. I RESPONDED; '14000 FT.' HE SAID WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE AT 15000 FT AND THAT HE DID NOT GIVE US A DSCNT CLRNC TO 14000 FT.' I TOLD HIM ZDC TOLD US TO CROSS 45 MI W OF AML AT 14000 FT. HE SAID YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE AT 15000 FT; BUT NOW JUST CROSS AML AT 8000 FT AND 210 KTS. WE COMPLIED WITH THIS RESTR. DUE TO THE FACT I WAS OFF THE ATC FREQ WHEN TALKING TO THE COMPANY; AND RECEIVING THE ATIS AT THE SAME TIME THE CAPT RECEIVED THE CLRNC; I DON'T KNOW IF THE CAPT READ IT BACK CORRECTLY OR NOT. I DO KNOW HE WROTE DOWN 45 MI W OF AML AT 14000 FT; AND THAT IS WHAT WE DID. THEREFORE; I DO NOT KNOW IF THERE WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING BTWN ZDC AND THE CAPT OR IF THERE WAS A FAILURE ON ZDC'S PART TO NOTIFY DULLES OF THE 14000 FT CLRNC. FROM NOW ON; IF ONE PLT IS OFF THE FREQ AND THERE IS A CLRNC CHANGE; THAT PLT SHOULD CONTACT ATC AND VERIFY THE CLRNC CHANGE -- EVEN IF YOU ARE IN A CONGESTED FREQ AREA.