This is the 14895th most frequent Russian word.
поданы
"Поданы" means "submitted" or "presented" in English.
In this sentence, 'поданы' is used as a passive voice form of the verb 'подать'. It indicates that the documents were submitted by someone.
Документы были поданы в срок.
The documents were submitted on time.
Here, 'поданы' is used to describe that something (dishes) was served or presented, indicating the action of serving.
На ужин были поданы различные блюда.
Different dishes were served for dinner.
In this instance, 'поданы' again reflects passive voice, showing that requests were submitted or handed over.