Question

Can a noun be a verb?

Answer 1

Yes. In a way a noun can be a verb.

Explanation:

Sometimes words that are verbs function in sentences just like nouns.

Example:
Think of the verb "dancing"
Now think of this sentence: "Dancing is fun."

In this case, a form of the verb "to dance" has been used as a noun.
In this case, it is the subject of the sentence.

This kind of word is called a gerund .

Gerunds can operate as all the same parts of sentences that regular nouns do -- direct objects, objects of prepositions, indirect objects, and so on.

Of course, in other sentences, dancing is still a verb:
Ex: They were dancing in the moonlight.

You can find out more about gerunds here:
http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/gerund.htm
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There's another way that nouns and verbs are the same, but I don't think it's what you mean.

Sometimes a certain noun is spelled exactly like a certain verb, so you can't tell if it's a noun or a verb just by seeing it on a list of words. You have to know the whole sentence to decide which kind of word it is.

Often words like this are pronounced differently, even though they are spelled the same.

Example:
Mr. Powell gave his wife a present for her birthday.
He waited until after dinner to present her with a ring.

Here's a long list of words that can be either nouns or verbs.
You could write a sentence for each one of these words using it as a noun or as a verb.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/wordlist/nounandverb.shtml