diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.lib b/scripts/Makefile.lib
index e62bb0513297..ecf084bf1a95 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.lib
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.lib
@@ -41,9 +41,12 @@ obj-m		:= $(filter-out %/, $(obj-m))
 # Subdirectories we need to descend into
 subdir-ym	:= $(sort $(subdir-y) $(subdir-m))
 
+# Expand $(foo-objs) $(foo-y) by calling $(call suffix-search,foo.o,-objs -y)
+suffix-search = $(foreach s,$(2),$($(1:.o=$s)))
 # If $(foo-objs), $(foo-y), $(foo-m), or $(foo-) exists, foo.o is a composite object
-multi-used-y := $(sort $(foreach m,$(obj-y), $(if $(strip $($(m:.o=-objs)) $($(m:.o=-y)) $($(m:.o=-))), $(m))))
-multi-used-m := $(sort $(foreach m,$(obj-m), $(if $(strip $($(m:.o=-objs)) $($(m:.o=-y)) $($(m:.o=-m)) $($(m:.o=-))), $(m))))
+multi-search = $(sort $(foreach m,$(1), $(if $(strip $(call suffix-search,$(m),$(2) -)), $(m))))
+multi-used-y := $(call multi-search,$(obj-y),-objs -y)
+multi-used-m := $(call multi-search,$(obj-m),-objs -y -m)
 multi-used   := $(multi-used-y) $(multi-used-m)
 
 # $(subdir-obj-y) is the list of objects in $(obj-y) which uses dir/ to
@@ -52,8 +55,9 @@ subdir-obj-y := $(filter %/built-in.a, $(obj-y))
 
 # Replace multi-part objects by their individual parts,
 # including built-in.a from subdirectories
-real-obj-y := $(foreach m, $(obj-y), $(if $(strip $($(m:.o=-objs)) $($(m:.o=-y)) $($(m:.o=-))),$($(m:.o=-objs)) $($(m:.o=-y)),$(m)))
-real-obj-m := $(foreach m, $(obj-m), $(if $(strip $($(m:.o=-objs)) $($(m:.o=-y)) $($(m:.o=-m)) $($(m:.o=-))),$($(m:.o=-objs)) $($(m:.o=-y)) $($(m:.o=-m)),$(m)))
+real-search = $(foreach m,$(1), $(if $(strip $(call suffix-search,$(m),$(2) -)),$(call suffix-search,$(m),$(2)),$(m)))
+real-obj-y := $(call real-search, $(obj-y),-objs -y)
+real-obj-m := $(call real-search, $(obj-m),-objs -y -m)
 
 # DTB
 # If CONFIG_OF_ALL_DTBS is enabled, all DT blobs are built