A bench is a long seat of wood or metal that two or more people can sit on.

A bench is a long, narrow table in a factory or laboratory.

In parliament, different groups sit on different benches. For example, the government sits on the government benches .

In a court of law, the bench is the judge or magistrates.

If someone serves on the bench, they work as a judge or magistrate.

If a member of a sports team is on the bench for a particular match, he or she waits at the side of the field until the manager tells them to play.