同源多倍体是由某个细胞在分裂过程中姐妹染色单体或同源染色体分离失败使染色体数目加倍造成的多倍体。由于同源多倍体个体每个细胞中染色体组数可能为奇数，使它们在减数分裂中无法正确配对和平均分离，因而同源多倍体个体可能不育。

同源多倍体发生了正常染色体数的加倍，但是所有的染色体都来源于同一个物种，并且常常是来自同一个个体。同源多倍体可以源于有丝分裂异常，也可源于因减数第二次分裂失败而造成的二倍体配子。同源多倍体常常不育是因为减数分裂时3条或更多条同源染色体不能形成二价体（成对），而是形成多价体（3条或更多的联会染色体）。这使得分裂时发生染色体变异，配子便不能包含一套完整的染色体。通过实验操作得到的人工同源多倍体往往比他们的二倍体亲本适合度低。

Polyploid cells and organisms are those containing more than two paired (homologous) sets of chromosomes. Most species whose cells have nuclei (Eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes—one set inherited from each parent. However, polyploidy is found in some organisms and is especially common in plants. In addition, polyploidy occurs in some tissues of animals that are otherwise diploid, such as human muscle tissues. This is known as endopolyploidy. Species whose cells do not have nuclei, that is, Prokaryotes, may be polyploid organisms, as seen in the large bacterium Epulopiscium fishelsoni . Hence ploidy is defined with respect to a cell. Most eukaryotes have diploid somatic cells, but produce haploid gametes (eggs and sperm) by meiosis. A monoploid has only one set of chromosomes, and the term is usually only applied to cells or organisms that are normally diploid. Male bees and other Hymenoptera, for example, are monoploid. Unlike animals, plants and multicellular algae have life cycles with two alternating multicellular generations. The gametophyte generation is haploid, and produces gametes by mitosis, the sporophyte generation is diploid and produces spores by meiosis.