"mutes" in the noun sense
1. mute, deaf-mute, deaf-and-dumb person
a deaf person who is unable to speak
2. mute
a device used to soften the tone of a musical instrument
"mutes" in the verb sense
1. muffle, mute, dull, damp, dampen, tone down
deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
Princeton University "About WordNet®."
WordNet®. Princeton University. 2010.
View WordNet® License