We show that for a given set Λ of nk distinct real numbers λ1, λ2, . . . , λ nk and k graphs on n nodes, G0, G1, . . . , G k−1 , there are real symmetric n × n matrices As, s = 0, 1, . . . , k, such that the matrix polynomial A(z) := A k z k + • • • + A1z + A0 has Λ as its spectrum, the graph of As is Gs for s = 0, 1, . . . , k − 1, and A k is an arbitrary positive definite diagonal matrix. When k = 2, this solves a physically significant inverse eigenvalue problem for linked vibrating systems (see Corollary 5.3).