tear, tare, tear, tier

Tear or tear ( pronounced to rhyme with hair ) means to rend in pieces or pull apart--
Did you tear your shirt? You'll have to change.
Don't tear up the paper. I haven't read it yet.
Tear may also be used as a noun ( thing or idea ), meaning a rent or hole in something--
There's a tear in your shirt.

Tare or tare ( also rhymes with hair ) means the weight of a package containing goods which are to be sold by weight--
He subtracted the tare before suggesting a price.
The tare weighs ten pounds, so there are fifty pounds of vegetables.

Tear or tear ( pronounced to rhyme with dear ) means a drop of water that flows from the eye--
She said she wasn't upset, but there was a tear in her eye.
He never sheds a tear, even when he's hurt.

Tier or tier ( also rhymes with dear ) means one of a set or series of ranks or levels, as of seats in a theater--
Our seats are on the third tier.
You will be able to see better from the first or second tier.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He couldn't reach the top tier of cartons to check the tare, but he made a tear in the cardboard as a mark, instead of shedding a tear over it."

Note--"tare" is also the name of a plant or weed--
"an enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat..."