A girl pulls a wagon.

The force is the pull.

It acts on the wagon.

The girl pulls the wagon. The pull acts on the wagon.

Now consider a bat hitting a baseball.

The force is the bat's push.

It acts on the ball.

The bat hits the baseball. The bat's push acts on the ball.

Now consider the wind blowing a leaf off a branch.

The force is the wind's push.

It acts on the leaf.

The wind blows the leaf off the branch. The wind's push acts on the leaf.

Now consider Earth pulling an apple down.

The force is Earth's pull.

It acts on the apple.

Earth pulls the apple down. Earth's pull acts on the apple.