What part of speech is the word being?

The word "being" can be several parts of speech depending on its context:

* Noun: "Human beings are complex creatures." Here, "beings" refers to living creatures.

* Verb: "I am being silly." Here, "being" is part of the present continuous tense of the verb "to be".

* Gerund: "Being kind is important." Here, "being" acts as a noun, representing the act of being kind.

* Present participle: "The child was being naughty." Here, "being" acts as a modifier, describing the child's action.

So, to determine the part of speech, you need to look at how it is used in the sentence.