coal tongs vs tongs

coal tongs and tongs both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
coal tongs	Yes	No	No	No
tongs	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, tongs is a hypernym of coal tongs; that is, tongs is a word with a broader meaning than coal tongs:

coal tongs: tongs for taking hold of burning coals
tongs: any of various devices for taking hold of objects; usually have two hinged legs with handles above and pointed hooks below

Other hypernyms of coal tongs include fire iron, pair of tongs.

coal tongs (noun)	tongs (noun)
tongs for taking hold of burning coals	any of various devices for taking hold of objects; usually have two hinged legs with handles above and pointed hooks below