High quality single crystals of NaGd(WO4)2 doped with 5 mol % Yb and oriented along <001> have been grown by the Czochralski technique in Ar atmosphere. The tetragonal space group I41/a accounts for all the reflections observed in the powder X-ray diffraction analysis. Polarized optical spectroscopy at room temperature revealed a direction dependence of absorption at different wavelength. As a novel uniaxial laser host for Yb3+, NaGd(WO4)2 is characterized with respect to its transparency and band-edge. The emission spectrum of Yb3+ (excitation: 980-990 nm diode laser) was also recorded. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.