clapping vs commendation

clapping and commendation both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
clapping	Yes	No	No	No
commendation	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, commendation is a hypernym of clapping; that is, commendation is a word with a broader meaning than clapping:

Other hypernyms of clapping include approval.

clapping (noun)	commendation (noun)
a demonstration of approval by clapping the hands together	an official award (as for bravery or service) usually given as formal public statement
	a message expressing a favorable opinion