Yes, plates is a Scrabble word!

Verb

1. Coat with a layer of metal

2. Make a plat of

Noun

1. (baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score

2. A sheet of metal or wood or glass or plastic

3. A full-page illustration (usually on slick paper)

4. Dish on which food is served or from which food is eaten

5. The quantity contained in a plate

6. A rigid layer of the Earth's crust that is believed to drift slowly

7. The thin under portion of the forequarter

8. A main course served on a plate

9. Any flat platelike body structure or part

10. The positively charged electrode in a vacuum tube

11. A flat sheet of metal or glass on which a photographic image can be recorded

12. Structural member consisting of a horizontal beam that provides bearing and anchorage

13. A shallow receptacle for collection in church

14. A metal sheathing of uniform thickness (such as the shield attached to an artillery piece to protect the gunners)

15. A dental appliance that artificially replaces missing teeth