What term describes a carbohydrate composed of multiple sugar molecules?

A carbohydrate composed of multiple sugar molecules is referred to as a polysaccharide. Polysaccharides are large, complex carbohydrates that consist of long chains of monosaccharide units linked together by glycosidic bonds. These structures can function as energy storage, such as starch in plants and glycogen in animals, or as structural components, like cellulose in plant cell walls.

In contrast, disaccharides are formed from two monosaccharide units, while monosaccharides are the simplest form of carbohydrates, consisting of single sugar molecules. A trisaccharide, while technically a type of polysaccharide composed of three monosaccharides, does not represent the broader category which includes all multi-molecule carbohydrates. Therefore, the most appropriate term to describe a carbohydrate with multiple sugar molecules is polysaccharide.