In Beverly Cleary's book Ramona the Pest, the character reflects on how confusing words can be. The phrase "Words were so puzzling" highlights the difficulty in understanding the multiple meanings that words can have, leading to misunderstandings or misinterpretations.
The quote continues with examples like "should mean a present" and "should mean to stick tacks in people," illustrating how one word can have completely different interpretations depending on context. This emphasizes the complex and sometimes amusing nature of language and communication.