This is the 13174th most frequent Russian word.
мешали
"Мешали" means "interfered" or "mixed" depending on context.
In this sentence, "мешали" means "hindered" or "disturbed," indicating that the children interfered with the teacher's ability to work effectively.
Дети постоянно мешали учителю работать.
The children constantly hindered the teacher's work.
Here, "мешали" is used in the sense of "stirred," referring to the action of mixing the soup in the pot using spoons.
Ложки мешали суп в кастрюле.
The spoons stirred the soup in the pot.
In this example, "мешали" again means "disturbed" or "hindered," describing how the noise from the neighbors prevented us from sleeping.