1 ) Yes, 恩is a noun which means something like benevolence or kindness or love or favor or help that others offer you especially when you are in trouble. We Chinese often say报恩which means "return" or "repay".
If I have helped you once,and you do me a favor as a return, then it's called 报恩=报答=回报.
2 ) 嗯is an interjective which is the nasal sound used when one makes a response or promise, or to express doubt .