* Present participle: When used to describe an action happening now, it acts as an adjective.
* Example: "The growing season is short in this climate." (Describing the season)
* Verb: When used to indicate an action, it functions as a verb.
* Example: "The plant is growing rapidly." (Describing the action of the plant)
To determine the correct part of speech, you need to look at its context within the sentence.