Wood adhesives play a vital role in the development of the wood industry. However, petroleum-based wood adhesives dominate the market, which has led to adverse effects on the ecosystem and health of people owing to the release of volatile organic compounds such as free formaldehyde. Plant-derived biomass has the advantages of renewability, biocompatibility and biodegradability, which have brought new development opportunities to various fields, such as medicine, energy, and environmental protection technology. Nowadays, plant-derived biomass shows spacious development prospects in wood adhesives. This paper summarizes the recent research progress of plant-derived biomass-based adhesives, including lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, soy meal, starch, and tannic acid, focusing on the synthetic strategies of natural molecules with different structures. Adhesion strength and water resistance are the most critical properties of biomass adhesives, which greatly determine their application in practice. This review evaluates the design strategies for improving bond performance, and discusses the main challenges of biomass-based adhesives, providing inspirations for the development of green wood adhesives.