Thankfully, the "adhere firmly" meaning is archaic and rarely heard (perhaps in some wedding ceremonies). The "to separate" meaning is the common use of the word now, and it gets used all over the place, like in "cleaver" or "cleavage" ...

Both meanings of "free", however, are used all the time, and it is terribly confusing, even for native speakers. I think I'd rather say, "free-gratis," than say, "free as in beer."