Crossword Genius

Approaches a listener in different ways (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

nears

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'approaches' is the definition.
(I know this)

'a listener in different ways' is the wordplay.
'a listener' becomes 'ear' (body part which hears or listens).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'different ways' becomes 'ns' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'ear' inserted within 'ns' is 'NEARS'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for nears that I've seen before include "is approaching" , "Approaches - snare (anag)" , "advances" , "Moves towards" , "Uses snare to get closer" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.