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The TALE gene family is a subfamily of the homeobox gene family and has been implicated in regulating plant secondary growth. However, reports about the evolutionary history and function of the <i>TALE</i> gene family in bamboo are limited. Here, the homeobox gene families of moso bamboo <i>Olyra latifolia</i> and <i>Bonia amplexicaulis</i> were identified and compared. Many duplication events and obvious expansions were found in the TALE family of woody bamboo. <i>PhTALE</i>s were found to have high syntenies with <i>TALE</i> genes in rice. Through gene co-expression analysis and quantitative real-time PCR analysis, the candidate <i>PhTALE</i>s were thought to be involved in regulating secondary cell wall development of moso bamboo during the fast-growing stage. Among these candidate <i>PhTALE</i>s, orthologs of <i>OsKNAT7</i>, <i>OSH15</i>, and <i>SH5</i> in moso bamboo may regulate xylan synthesis by regulating the expression of IRX-like genes. These results suggested that <i>PhTALE</i>s may participate in the secondary cell wall deposition in internodes during the fast-growing stage of moso bamboo. The expansion of the TALE gene family may be implicated in the increased lignification of woody bamboo when divergent from herbaceous bamboos.