diff --git a/tsdb/head_test.go b/tsdb/head_test.go
index 164de7b73e..8791707273 100644
--- a/tsdb/head_test.go
+++ b/tsdb/head_test.go
@@ -164,6 +164,8 @@ func populateTestWL(t testing.TB, w *wlog.WL, recs []interface{}) {
 			require.NoError(t, w.Log(enc.Exemplars(v, nil)))
 		case []record.RefMmapMarker:
 			require.NoError(t, w.Log(enc.MmapMarkers(v, nil)))
+		case []record.RefMetadata:
+			require.NoError(t, w.Log(enc.Metadata(v, nil)))
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -714,13 +716,22 @@ func TestHead_ReadWAL(t *testing.T) {
 				[]record.RefSample{
 					{Ref: 10, T: 101, V: 5},
 					{Ref: 50, T: 101, V: 6},
+					// Sample for duplicate series record.
 					{Ref: 101, T: 101, V: 7},
 				},
 				[]tombstones.Stone{
 					{Ref: 0, Intervals: []tombstones.Interval{{Mint: 99, Maxt: 101}}},
+					// Tombstone for duplicate series record.
+					{Ref: 101, Intervals: []tombstones.Interval{{Mint: 0, Maxt: 100}}},
 				},
 				[]record.RefExemplar{
 					{Ref: 10, T: 100, V: 1, Labels: labels.FromStrings("trace_id", "asdf")},
+					// Exemplar for duplicate series record.
+					{Ref: 101, T: 101, V: 7, Labels: labels.FromStrings("trace_id", "zxcv")},
+				},
+				[]record.RefMetadata{
+					// Metadata for duplicate series record.
+					{Ref: 101, Type: uint8(record.Counter), Unit: "foo", Help: "total foo"},
 				},
 			}
 
@@ -766,23 +777,46 @@ func TestHead_ReadWAL(t *testing.T) {
 				return x
 			}
 
+			// Verify samples and exemplar for series 10.
 			c, _, _, err := s10.chunk(0, head.chunkDiskMapper, &head.memChunkPool)
 			require.NoError(t, err)
 			require.Equal(t, []sample{{100, 2, nil, nil}, {101, 5, nil, nil}}, expandChunk(c.chunk.Iterator(nil)))
+
+			q, err := head.ExemplarQuerier(context.Background())
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+			e, err := q.Select(0, 1000, []*labels.Matcher{labels.MustNewMatcher(labels.MatchEqual, "a", "1")})
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+			require.NotEmpty(t, e)
+			require.NotEmpty(t, e[0].Exemplars)
+			require.True(t, exemplar.Exemplar{Ts: 100, Value: 1, Labels: labels.FromStrings("trace_id", "asdf")}.Equals(e[0].Exemplars[0]))
+
+			// Verify samples for series 50
 			c, _, _, err = s50.chunk(0, head.chunkDiskMapper, &head.memChunkPool)
 			require.NoError(t, err)
 			require.Equal(t, []sample{{101, 6, nil, nil}}, expandChunk(c.chunk.Iterator(nil)))
+
+			// Verify records for series 100 and its duplicate, series 101.
 			// The samples before the new series record should be discarded since a duplicate record
 			// is only possible when old samples were compacted.
 			c, _, _, err = s100.chunk(0, head.chunkDiskMapper, &head.memChunkPool)
 			require.NoError(t, err)
 			require.Equal(t, []sample{{101, 7, nil, nil}}, expandChunk(c.chunk.Iterator(nil)))
 
-			q, err := head.ExemplarQuerier(context.Background())
+			q, err = head.ExemplarQuerier(context.Background())
 			require.NoError(t, err)
-			e, err := q.Select(0, 1000, []*labels.Matcher{labels.MustNewMatcher(labels.MatchEqual, "a", "1")})
+			e, err = q.Select(0, 1000, []*labels.Matcher{labels.MustNewMatcher(labels.MatchEqual, "a", "3")})
 			require.NoError(t, err)
-			require.True(t, exemplar.Exemplar{Ts: 100, Value: 1, Labels: labels.FromStrings("trace_id", "asdf")}.Equals(e[0].Exemplars[0]))
+			require.NotEmpty(t, e)
+			require.NotEmpty(t, e[0].Exemplars)
+			require.True(t, exemplar.Exemplar{Ts: 101, Value: 7, Labels: labels.FromStrings("trace_id", "zxcv")}.Equals(e[0].Exemplars[0]))
+
+			require.NotNil(t, s100.meta)
+			require.Equal(t, "foo", s100.meta.Unit)
+			require.Equal(t, "total foo", s100.meta.Help)
+
+			intervals, err := head.tombstones.Get(storage.SeriesRef(s100.ref))
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+			require.Equal(t, tombstones.Intervals{{Mint: 0, Maxt: 100}}, intervals)
 		})
 	}
 }
diff --git a/tsdb/head_wal.go b/tsdb/head_wal.go
index 4de091c291..e97f06a2ce 100644
--- a/tsdb/head_wal.go
+++ b/tsdb/head_wal.go
@@ -320,6 +320,9 @@ Outer:
 					if itv.Maxt < h.minValidTime.Load() {
 						continue
 					}
+					if r, ok := multiRef[chunks.HeadSeriesRef(s.Ref)]; ok {
+						s.Ref = storage.SeriesRef(r)
+					}
 					if m := h.series.getByID(chunks.HeadSeriesRef(s.Ref)); m == nil {
 						unknownTombstoneRefs.Inc()
 						missingSeries[chunks.HeadSeriesRef(s.Ref)] = struct{}{}
@@ -331,6 +334,9 @@ Outer:
 			h.wlReplaytStonesPool.Put(v)
 		case []record.RefExemplar:
 			for _, e := range v {
+				if r, ok := multiRef[e.Ref]; ok {
+					e.Ref = r
+				}
 				exemplarsInput <- e
 			}
 			h.wlReplayExemplarsPool.Put(v)
@@ -408,6 +414,9 @@ Outer:
 			h.wlReplayFloatHistogramsPool.Put(v)
 		case []record.RefMetadata:
 			for _, m := range v {
+				if r, ok := multiRef[m.Ref]; ok {
+					m.Ref = r
+				}
 				s := h.series.getByID(m.Ref)
 				if s == nil {
 					unknownMetadataRefs.Inc()