Suppose the following:
(1) What is depends on our perceptive strengths.
(2) What isn't depends on our imagination bolstered by some sort of metaphysical reasoning.
When you say meaning, I have to use, what isn't said, to say myself, you mean what you mean, plus more, which seems to me, what you mean by meaning, is connotation plus value.
Value is measured as far as I know in two ways. The first is itz organization and the second is itz re-organizability. Suppose some of Maxwell's monkeys got loose, and while you were asleep, disassembled your computer and laid all the parts down, neatly in four rows. Your computer now has no value to you, because it is not functional, and further, the important messges cannot reach you anymore.
Not all things are re-organizable (except the GODs of the religions, due to metaphysical reasoning), making the value of those things, the not(re-organizable) ones, static. Electricity is re-organizable and you know how valualble that is to us. Electric charge itself has little value because itz existential organization, mostly causes harm, and has no known functional use.
Using this argument, I do not think it is a necessary condition, to make claims about the physical world, to give religions their meaning, metaphysical exploration is adequate. Remember, this is an evolved argument, coming from a mind that has raised itz value over history - it now holds more meaning...
I have hardly asnwered the question, but hopefully, these few dabs of paint will help restore these faded photos...