There are various things he can make a meal of (6)
I believe the answer is:
miller
'there are various things he can make a meal of' is the definition.
The answer is a person as well as being a singular noun. This is suggested by the definition.
'he can make a meal of' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'he' could be 'mill' and 'mill' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'er' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for miller that I've seen before include "Producer of flour" , "[PILGRIM in the CANTERBURY TALES]" , "US playwright who married Marilyn Monroe, d.2005" , "Arthur -, Death of a Salesman author" , "he had a tale to tell!)" .)