puddle vs muck about

puddle is a noun but muck about is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
puddle	Yes	No	Yes	No
muck about	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, muck about is a hypernym of puddle; that is, muck about is a word with a broader meaning than puddle:

Other hypernyms of puddle include mess around, monkey, monkey around, muck around, potter, putter, tinker.

puddle (noun)	muck about (noun)
something resembling a pool of liquid
a small body of standing water (rainwater) or other liquid
a mixture of wet clay and sand that can be used to line a pond and that is impervious to water when dry

puddle (verb)	muck about (verb)
eliminate urine	do random, unplanned work or activities or spend time idly
mix up or confuse
mess around, as in a liquid or paste
make into a puddle
work a wet mixture, such as concrete or mud
make a puddle by splashing water
dip into mud before planting
subject to puddling or form by puddling
wade or dabble in a puddle