Techniques for efficiently multiplexing a reference signal and data on different sets of subcarriers in the same symbol period are described. In one design, a user equipment (UE) performs a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) on a set of modulation symbols for data to obtain data symbols. The UE also obtains reference symbols generated based on a reference signal sequence corresponding to a cyclic shift of a base sequence. The UE maps the reference symbols to a first set of subcarriers and maps the data symbols to a second set of subcarriers. The UE then generates a transmission symbol based on the mapped reference symbols and the mapped data symbols. The UE may also transmit reference signals and data (i) in multiple symbol periods of a slot or a subframe and/or (ii) from multiple antennas using frequency division multiplexing (FDM) or code division multiplexing (CDM).