The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 11 letter word ALL-PURPOSE
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
A
L
L
-
P
U
R
P
O
S
E
More clues leading to the result ALL-PURPOSE
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "having many uses" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case having many uses = all-purpose.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does ALL-PURPOSE mean?
ALL-PURPOSE adjective- For all purposes; general-purpose