sponger vs follower

sponger and follower both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
sponger	Yes	No	No	No
follower	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, follower is a hypernym of sponger; that is, follower is a word with a broader meaning than sponger:

sponger: a follower who hangs around a host (without benefit to the host) in hope of gain or advantage
follower: a person who accepts the leadership of another

sponger (noun)	follower (noun)
a follower who hangs around a host (without benefit to the host) in hope of gain or advantage	a person who accepts the leadership of another
a workman employed to collect sponges	someone who travels behind or pursues another