bowling vs playing

bowling and playing both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
bowling	Yes	No	No	No
playing	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, playing is a hypernym of bowling; that is, playing is a word with a broader meaning than bowling:

bowling (noun)	playing (noun)
a game in which balls are rolled at an object or group of objects with the aim of knocking them over or moving them	the action of taking part in a game or sport or other recreation
the playing of a game of tenpins or duckpins etc	the act of playing a musical instrument
(cricket) the act of delivering a cricket ball to the batsman	the performance of a part or role in a drama