spank vs work over

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

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

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

spank: give a spanking to; subject to a spanking
work over: give a beating to; subject to a beating, either as a punishment or as an act of aggression

Other hypernyms of spank include beat, beat up.

spank (noun)	work over (noun)
a slap with the flat of the hand

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