is 般 actually used for general things or did i get lied to

so i learned 般 as general but then i saw 一般 and its pronunced ippan?? where did the h go lol. autocorrect keeps making it japan. anyway is it ever used alone?? i saw it on a tv 放送 thing and got so confused, thought it meant boat cuz of the left side. wait do people use it for like 巨人 stuff too or am i just losing my mind. its so weird how the readings change write when you think you got it.