Punish by putting the ringleader in a shack! (4)
I believe the answer is:
hurt
'punish by' is the definition.
'hurt' can be an answer for 'punish' (thesaurus). I am not certain of the 'by' bit.
'the ringleader in a shack' is the wordplay.
'the ringleader' becomes 'r' (first letter of ring).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'a shack' becomes 'hut' (synonyms).
'r' placed inside 'hut' is 'HURT'.
'putting' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for hurt that I've seen before include "Cause pain to" , "Ache" , "Feel pain" , "Offend(ed)" , "Injure, harm" .)