Crossword Genius

Pens ran out; that’s a wrench (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

spanner

'that's a wrench' is the definition.
('spanner' can be a synonym of 'wrench')

'pens ran out' is the wordplay.
'out' indicates anagramming the letters (out can mean wrong or inaccurate).
'pens'+'ran'='pensran'
'pensran' is an anagram of 'SPANNER'.

(Other definitions for spanner that I've seen before include "that might cause difficulty in the works" , "Hand tool for nuts" , "Nut-tightening tool" , "Tool for gripping nut" , "Wrench for nuts" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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