baby 
[a newly born creature] 
Mary had a baby last night. 
back 
[(1) the part behind the front; (2) the other way from forward] 
The writer's picture is on the back of the book. (1) 
She stopped walking away and looked back at me. (2) 
bad 
[(1) wrong; (2) acting against the law; (3) not good] 
Bill made a bad decision. (1) 
The prisoner was a bad man for most of his life. (2) 
The water was dirty and had a bad taste. (3) 
balance 
[to make two sides or forces equal] 
I balanced my budget by not spending more than I earned. 
ball 
[something round] 
The earth is shaped like a ball. 
balloon 
[a device of strong, light material that rises when filled with gas lighter than air] 
Many hot air balloons race in New Mexico each year. 
ballot 
[a piece of paper used for voting] 
I was asked to count the ballots and announce the winner. 
ban 
[(1) to not permit; (2) to stop; (3) an official restriction] 
Running is banned at our swimming pool. (1) 
The curfew bans all night time travel. (2) 
The protestors called for a ban on smoking in public buildings. (3) 
bank 
[an organization that keeps and lends money] 
The man said he robbed banks because that is where the money is. 
bar 
[to prevent or block] 
He was barred from competing in the games because he used illegal drugs. 
barrier 
[anything that blocks or makes an action difficult] 
The voting rights law removes most racial barriers to voting. 
base 
[(1) a military center; (2) to establish as a fact] 
My brother is at a military training base. (1) 
Her research was based on experiments. (2) 
battle 
[a fight between opposing armed forces] 
Southern forces won the battle but lost the war. 
be 
[(1) to live; (2) to happen; (3) to exist] 
The man is very sick and will not be here much longer. (1) 
The wedding will be soon. (2) 
Washington, D.C., has been the capital for 200 years. (3) 
beat 
[to hit again and again] 
The prison guards denied they beat the prisoner. 
beauty 
[that which pleases the eye, ear or spirit] 
All fell silent at the beauty of the mountains. 
because 
[for the reason that] 
He left because he was sick. 
become 
[to come to be] 
When did he become sick? 
bed 
[a sleeping place] 
The bed was so hard that I could not sleep. 
before 
[earlier] 
Bill ate before he went to work. 
begin 
[(1) to do the first part of an action; (2) to start] 
He began to laugh when he saw me. (1) 
A long walk begins with one step. (2) 
behind 
[(1) at the back of; (2) in back of] 
Our fastest runner was far behind the leader. (1) 
I live behind that hill. (2) 
believe 
[(1) to think; (2) to feel sure of; (3) to accept as true; (4) to trust] 
I believe it may rain tonight. (1) 
Jim believes his friend is a good writer. (2) 
The lawyer believed the suspect's statement. (3) 
We believe in God. (4) 
bell 
[an instrument that makes a musical sound] 
Jim says he likes the sound of a church bell. 
belong 
[(1) to be owned by; (2) to be a member of] 
That book belongs to my sister. (1) 
My brother belongs to the Boy Scouts. (2) 
below 
[lower than] 
The temperature outside is below freezing. 
best 
[the most good] 
All of our singers are good but Lisa is best. 
betray 
[(1) to turn against; (2) to be false to] 
The spy betrayed his country. (1) 
The boy betrayed his mother's trust in him. (2) 
better 
[more good than] 
Zach is a better baseball player than Al. 
between 
[(1) in the space or time that separates; (2) from one to the other] 
I would like to meet with you between two and three o'clock. (1) 
Secret talks between the two nations produced an agreement. (2) 
big 
[(1) of great size; (2) not small] 
Texas is a big state. (1) 
Melissa was a big baby. (2) 
bill 
[a legislative proposal] 
To become law, a bill must be approved by both houses of Congress and signed by the President. 
biology 
[the scientific study of life or living things in all their forms] 
My school requires one year of study each of biology, physics and chemistry. 
bird 
[a creature that flies] 
I watched the bird fly away until I could no longer see it. 
bite 
[to cut with the teeth] 
My dog sounds aggressive but he will not bite you. 
black 
[(1) dark; (2) having the color like that of the night sky] 
I first saw him on a black and stormy night. (1) 
The doctor arrived in a big black car. (2) 
blame 
[(1) to accuse; (2) to hold responsible] 
The police blamed him for the crime. (1) 
Don't blame me for your bad decision. (2) 
blanket 
[a cloth cover used to keep warm] 
The flood refugees needed food and warm blankets. 
bleed 
[to lose blood] 
Do you know how to stop your nose from bleeding? 
blind 
[not able to see] 
Being blind did not keep him from becoming a famous singer. 
block 
[(1) to stop something from being done; (2) to prevent movement] 
He blocked any attempt to become friends. (1) 
A truck accident blocked the road for an hour. (2) 
blood 
[red fluid in the body] 
A blood test is usually part of a yearly medical examination. 
blow 
[to move with force, as in air] 
The wind blows the autumn leaves. 
blue 
[having the color like that of a clear sky] 
My son has blue eyes. 
boat 
[something built to travel on water that carries people or goods] 
I like to fish from a boat. 
body 
[(1) all of a person or animal; (2) the remains of a person or animal] 
Exercise can improve anyone's body. (1) 
Police found five bodies buried beneath the house. (2) 
boil 
[to heat a liquid until it becomes very hot] 
Boil one cup of water, add frozen vegetables and cook for five minutes. 
bomb 
[(1) a device that explodes with great force; (2) to attack or destroy with bombs] 
The bomb exploded outside the building. (1) 
The warplanes bombed enemy missile launchers. (2) 
bone 
[the hard material in the body] 
The girl broke a bone in her wrist when she fell. 
book 
[a long written work for reading] 
The professor has written six books about East Asia. 
border 
[a dividing line between nations] 
Many new factories have been built across the border in Mexico. 
(be) born 
[(1) to come to life; (2) to come into existence] 
When were you born? (1) 
The American Revolution was born in Massachusetts. (2) 
borrow 
[to take as a loan] 
The bank refused to let me borrow any more money. 
both 
[not just one of two, but the two together] 
Both of us were educated at the University of Virginia. 
bottle 
[a container, usually made of glass, to hold liquid] 
He drank the last bottle of water. 
bottom 
[the lowest part of something] 
The damaged submarine is still at the bottom of the ocean. 
box 
[something to put things into] 
Put the old books in that box. 
boy 
[a young male person] 
The boys played together after school. 
boycott 
[to refuse to take part in or deal with] 
The farm workers union called for a boycott of vegetables picked by foreign workers. 
brain 
[the control center of thought, emotions and body activity of all creatures] 
Scientists continue to discover new information about the chemistry of the brain. 
brave 
[having no fear] 
Leaving home was a brave decision. 
bread 
[a food made from grain] 
We have bread at every meal. 
break 
[(1) to divide into parts by force; (2) to destroy] 
The glass broke into many pieces. (1) 
Years of hard work broke his health, but it did not break his spirit. (2) 
breathe 
[to take air into the body and let it out again] 
Breathe deeply before you begin your speech. 
bridge 
[a structure built over a waterway, valley or road so people and vehicles can cross from one side to the other] 
The city needs a new bridge across the river. 
brief 
[(1) short; (2) not long] 
Many people wish to speak, so please keep your comments brief. (1) 
The car slowed down briefly, then speeded up. (2) 
bright 
[(1) giving much light; (2) strong and clear in color] 
Bright sunlight hurts my eyes. (1) 
The new grass is bright green. (2) 
bring 
[to come with something] 
Sam will bring Tracy to the party. 
broadcast 
[(1) to send information, stories or music by radio or television; (2) a radio or television program] 
VOA broadcasts the news in Special English. (1) 
The Special English broadcast can be heard almost everywhere. (2) 
brother 
[a male with the same father or mother as another person] 
I have three brothers, but no sisters. 
brown 
[having the color like that of coffee] 
Richard has brown hair and brown eyes. 
budget 
[a spending plan] 
Congress decided to add money to the education budget. 
build 
[to join materials together to make something] 
Tim plans to build a house for his dog. 
building 
[anything built for use as a house, factory, office, school, store or place of entertainment] 
My office is in that building next to the hotel. 
bullet 
[a small piece of metal shot from a gun] 
The bullet hit the exact center of the target. 
burn 
[(1) to be on fire; (2) to destroy or damage by fire] 
The candles burned brightly enough for me to read the book. (1) 
The wildfire burned much of the forest. (2) 
burst 
[to break open suddenly] 
The dam burst and sent a wall of water rushing down the valley. 
bury 
[to put into the ground and cover with earth] 
Where do you think they buried the treasure? 
bus 
[a public vehicle to carry people] 
Ride the A-17 bus to 4th and Independence Avenue. 
business 
[(1) one's work; (2) buying and selling to earn money; (3) trade] 
My business is writing radio programs. (1) 
The Internet is creating many new markets for business. (2) 
I have done business with that company for many years. (3) 
busy 
[(1) doing something; (2) very active] 
Are you busy now? (1) 
George was very busy this morning with an emergency case. (2) 
but 
[(1) however; (2) other than; (3) yet] 
She knew who called but I did not know. (1) 
The boy ate nothing but candy. (2) 
Jean was tired but she could not get to sleep. (3) 
buy 
[to get by paying something, usually money] 
Where did Lila buy those great clothes? 
by 
[(1) near; at; (2) next to; (3) from ; (4) not later than] 
Please sit here by me. (1) 
They walked by the river. (2) 
They performed a play by William Shakespeare. (3) 
Her mother said that she had to be home by midnight. (4)