cane vs work over

cane is a noun but work over is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
cane	Yes	No	Yes	No
work over	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, work over is a hypernym of cane; that is, work over is a word with a broader meaning than cane:

cane: beat with a cane
work over: give a beating to; subject to a beating, either as a punishment or as an act of aggression

Other hypernyms of cane include beat, beat up.

cane (noun)	work over (noun)
a stiff switch, used to hit (usually students) as punishment
a stick that people can lean on to help them walk
a strong slender often flexible stem as of bamboos, reeds, rattans, or sugar cane

cane (verb)	work over (verb)
beat with a cane	give a beating to; subject to a beating, either as a punishment or as an act of aggression