diff --git a/man/repart.d.xml b/man/repart.d.xml
index b01c0c04f00..8cd2149121f 100644
--- a/man/repart.d.xml
+++ b/man/repart.d.xml
@@ -483,18 +483,18 @@
         <term><varname>ExcludeFiles=</varname></term>
         <term><varname>ExcludeFilesTarget=</varname></term>
 
-        <listitem><para>Takes an absolute file system path referring to a source file or directory on the
-        host. This setting may be used to exclude files or directories from the host from being copied into
-        the file system when <varname>CopyFiles=</varname> is used. This option may be used multiple times to
-        exclude multiple files or directories from host from being copied into the newly formatted file
-        system.</para>
+        <listitem><para>Takes one or more absolute paths, separated by whitespace, each referring to a
+        source file or directory on the host. This setting may be used to exclude files or directories from
+        the host from being copied into the file system when <varname>CopyFiles=</varname> is used. This
+        option may be used multiple times to exclude multiple files or directories from host from being
+        copied into the newly formatted file system.</para>
 
         <para>If the path is a directory and ends with <literal>/</literal>, only the directory's
         contents are excluded but not the directory itself. If the path is a directory and does not end with
         <literal>/</literal>, both the directory and its contents are excluded.</para>
 
         <para><varname>ExcludeFilesTarget=</varname> is like <varname>ExcludeFiles=</varname> except that
-        instead of excluding the path on the host from being copied into the partition, we exclude any files
+        instead of excluding the path on the host from being copied into the partition, it exclude any files
         and directories from being copied into the given path in the partition.</para>
 
         <para>When
diff --git a/src/partition/repart.c b/src/partition/repart.c
index baef519eaf3..ac199e6856e 100644
--- a/src/partition/repart.c
+++ b/src/partition/repart.c
@@ -1742,8 +1742,9 @@ static int config_parse_exclude_files(
                 const char *rvalue,
                 void *data,
                 void *userdata) {
-        _cleanup_free_ char *resolved = NULL;
+
         char ***exclude_files = ASSERT_PTR(data);
+        const char *p = ASSERT_PTR(rvalue);
         int r;
 
         if (isempty(rvalue)) {
@@ -1751,20 +1752,34 @@ static int config_parse_exclude_files(
                 return 0;
         }
 
-        r = specifier_printf(rvalue, PATH_MAX-1, system_and_tmp_specifier_table, arg_root, NULL, &resolved);
-        if (r < 0) {
-                log_syntax(unit, LOG_WARNING, filename, line, r,
-                           "Failed to expand specifiers in ExcludeFiles= path, ignoring: %s", rvalue);
-                return 0;
+        for (;;) {
+                _cleanup_free_ char *word = NULL, *resolved = NULL;
+
+                r = extract_first_word(&p, &word, NULL, EXTRACT_UNQUOTE);
+                if (r == -ENOMEM)
+                        return log_oom();
+                if (r < 0) {
+                        log_syntax(unit, LOG_WARNING, filename, line, r, "Invalid syntax, ignoring: %s", p);
+                        return 0;
+                }
+                if (r == 0)
+                        return 0;
+
+                r = specifier_printf(word, PATH_MAX-1, system_and_tmp_specifier_table, arg_root, NULL, &resolved);
+                if (r < 0) {
+                        log_syntax(unit, LOG_WARNING, filename, line, r,
+                                   "Failed to expand specifiers in %s path, ignoring: %s", lvalue, word);
+                        return 0;
+                }
+
+                r = path_simplify_and_warn(resolved, PATH_CHECK_ABSOLUTE|PATH_KEEP_TRAILING_SLASH, unit, filename, line, lvalue);
+                if (r < 0)
+                        return 0;
+
+                if (strv_consume(exclude_files, TAKE_PTR(resolved)) < 0)
+                        return log_oom();
         }
 
-        r = path_simplify_and_warn(resolved, PATH_CHECK_ABSOLUTE|PATH_KEEP_TRAILING_SLASH, unit, filename, line, lvalue);
-        if (r < 0)
-                return 0;
-
-        if (strv_consume(exclude_files, TAKE_PTR(resolved)) < 0)
-                return log_oom();
-
         return 0;
 }