Head Of Plant
Ear Of Plant
noun
The kanji and the word are exactly the same. That means they share meanings as well.
The reading is the same as the one you learned with the kanji.
私達はお腹がペコペコだったので、麦の穂を集めてそのまま生で食べたんです。
We were so hungry that we gathered ears of wheat and ate them raw.