diff --git a/packages/compiler/src/template_parser/template_parser.ts b/packages/compiler/src/template_parser/template_parser.ts
index ae5dab1455..b52298b211 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/src/template_parser/template_parser.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/src/template_parser/template_parser.ts
@@ -580,7 +580,7 @@ class TemplateParseVisitor implements html.Visitor {
           directive.inputs, props, directiveProperties, targetBoundDirectivePropNames);
       elementOrDirectiveRefs.forEach((elOrDirRef) => {
         if ((elOrDirRef.value.length === 0 && directive.isComponent) ||
-            (directive.exportAs == elOrDirRef.value)) {
+            (elOrDirRef.isReferenceToDirective(directive))) {
           targetReferences.push(new ReferenceAst(
               elOrDirRef.name, createTokenForReference(directive.type.reference),
               elOrDirRef.sourceSpan));
@@ -805,8 +805,25 @@ class NonBindableVisitor implements html.Visitor {
   visitExpansionCase(expansionCase: html.ExpansionCase, context: any): any { return expansionCase; }
 }
 
+/**
+ * A reference to an element or directive in a template. E.g., the reference in this template:
+ *
+ * <div #myMenu="coolMenu">
+ *
+ * would be {name: 'myMenu', value: 'coolMenu', sourceSpan: ...}
+ */
 class ElementOrDirectiveRef {
   constructor(public name: string, public value: string, public sourceSpan: ParseSourceSpan) {}
+
+  /** Gets whether this is a reference to the given directive. */
+  isReferenceToDirective(directive: CompileDirectiveSummary) {
+    return splitExportAs(directive.exportAs).indexOf(this.value) !== -1;
+  }
+}
+
+/** Splits a raw, potentially comma-delimted `exportAs` value into an array of names. */
+function splitExportAs(exportAs: string | null): string[] {
+  return exportAs ? exportAs.split(',').map(e => e.trim()) : [];
 }
 
 export function splitClasses(classAttrValue: string): string[] {
diff --git a/packages/compiler/test/template_parser/template_parser_spec.ts b/packages/compiler/test/template_parser/template_parser_spec.ts
index 7ffb4dfe58..7937bd7cbd 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/test/template_parser/template_parser_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/test/template_parser/template_parser_spec.ts
@@ -1209,6 +1209,24 @@ Binding to attribute 'onEvent' is disallowed for security reasons ("<my-componen
           ]);
         });
 
+        it('should assign references to directives via exportAs with multiple names', () => {
+          const pizzaTestDirective =
+              compileDirectiveMetadataCreate({
+                selector: 'pizza-test',
+                type: createTypeMeta({reference: {filePath: someModuleUrl, name: 'Pizza'}}),
+                exportAs: 'pizza, cheeseSauceBread'
+              }).toSummary();
+
+          const template = '<pizza-test #food="pizza" #yum="cheeseSauceBread"></pizza-test>';
+
+          expect(humanizeTplAst(parse(template, [pizzaTestDirective]))).toEqual([
+            [ElementAst, 'pizza-test'],
+            [ReferenceAst, 'food', createTokenForReference(pizzaTestDirective.type.reference)],
+            [ReferenceAst, 'yum', createTokenForReference(pizzaTestDirective.type.reference)],
+            [DirectiveAst, pizzaTestDirective],
+          ]);
+        });
+
         it('should report references with values that dont match a directive as errors', () => {
           expect(() => parse('<div #a="dirA"></div>', [])).toThrowError(`Template parse errors:
 There is no directive with "exportAs" set to "dirA" ("<div [ERROR ->]#a="dirA"></div>"): TestComp@0:5`);
@@ -1231,6 +1249,31 @@ Reference "#a" is defined several times ("<div #a></div><div [ERROR ->]#a></div>
 
         });
 
+        it('should report duplicate reference names when using mutliple exportAs names', () => {
+          const pizzaDirective =
+              compileDirectiveMetadataCreate({
+                selector: '[dessert-pizza]',
+                type: createTypeMeta({reference: {filePath: someModuleUrl, name: 'Pizza'}}),
+                exportAs: 'dessertPizza, chocolate'
+              }).toSummary();
+
+          const chocolateDirective =
+              compileDirectiveMetadataCreate({
+                selector: '[chocolate]',
+                type: createTypeMeta({reference: {filePath: someModuleUrl, name: 'Chocolate'}}),
+                exportAs: 'chocolate'
+              }).toSummary();
+
+          const template = '<div dessert-pizza chocolate #snack="chocolate"></div>';
+          const compileTemplate = () => parse(template, [pizzaDirective, chocolateDirective]);
+          const duplicateReferenceError = 'Template parse errors:\n' +
+              'Reference "#snack" is defined several times ' +
+              '("<div dessert-pizza chocolate [ERROR ->]#snack="chocolate"></div>")' +
+              ': TestComp@0:29';
+
+          expect(compileTemplate).toThrowError(duplicateReferenceError);
+        });
+
         it('should not throw error when there is same reference name in different templates',
            () => {
              expect(() => parse('<div #a><template #a><span>OK</span></template></div>', []))
diff --git a/packages/core/src/metadata/directives.ts b/packages/core/src/metadata/directives.ts
index 8ae0808f67..a8847605ae 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/metadata/directives.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/metadata/directives.ts
@@ -54,7 +54,8 @@ export interface DirectiveDecorator {
    *
    * **Metadata Properties:**
    *
-   * * **exportAs** - name under which the component instance is exported in a template
+   * * **exportAs** - name under which the component instance is exported in a template. Can be
+   * given a single name or a comma-delimited list of names.
    * * **host** - map of class property to host element bindings for events, properties and
    * attributes
    * * **inputs** - list of class property names to data-bind as component inputs
diff --git a/packages/core/test/linker/integration_spec.ts b/packages/core/test/linker/integration_spec.ts
index 5491c1c131..573a4d40d2 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/linker/integration_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/linker/integration_spec.ts
@@ -469,6 +469,20 @@ function declareTests({useJit}: {useJit: boolean}) {
               .toBeAnInstanceOf(ExportDir);
         });
 
+        it('should assign a directive to a ref when it has multiple exportAs names', () => {
+          TestBed.configureTestingModule(
+              {declarations: [MyComp, DirectiveWithMultipleExportAsNames]});
+
+          const template = '<div multiple-export-as #x="dirX" #y="dirY"></div>';
+          TestBed.overrideComponent(MyComp, {set: {template}});
+
+          const fixture = TestBed.createComponent(MyComp);
+          expect(fixture.debugElement.children[0].references !['x'])
+              .toBeAnInstanceOf(DirectiveWithMultipleExportAsNames);
+          expect(fixture.debugElement.children[0].references !['y'])
+              .toBeAnInstanceOf(DirectiveWithMultipleExportAsNames);
+        });
+
         it('should make the assigned component accessible in property bindings, even if they were declared before the component',
            () => {
              TestBed.configureTestingModule({declarations: [MyComp, ChildComp]});
@@ -2442,6 +2456,10 @@ class SomeImperativeViewport {
 class ExportDir {
 }
 
+@Directive({selector: '[multiple-export-as]', exportAs: 'dirX, dirY'})
+export class DirectiveWithMultipleExportAsNames {
+}
+
 @Component({selector: 'comp'})
 class ComponentWithoutView {
 }