She had her ears 'pierced'. = She 'pierced' her ears. [=she had holes made in her ears so that she could wear earrings]
The fog was 'pierced' by a dim light. [=a dim light could be seen through the fog]
The troops 'pierced through' the enemy's defenses.
(..) OK. You're giving her an injection of adrenaline... straight to her heart, but she's got a breastplate. You've got to pierce through that. You gotta bring the needle down in a stabbing motion. I gotta stab her three times? No! You don't gotta stab her three times. Just once. (..)1994 Pulp Fiction
(..) Wow. I'll lend it to you. It's a great book on piercing. SECOND WOMAN: Well, you see how they use that gun... to pierce your ears? They don't use that to pierce your nipples, too, do they? Forget that gun. That gun goes against the entire idea behind piercing. (..)1994 Pulp Fiction