diff --git a/entityreference.module b/entityreference.module
index 348c76a..c83b033 100644
--- a/entityreference.module
+++ b/entityreference.module
@@ -394,7 +394,7 @@ function entityreference_field_widget_form(&$form, &$form_state, $field, $instan
 
     if ($instance['widget']['type'] == 'entityreference_autocomplete') {
       $path = !empty($instance['widget']['settings']['path']) ? $instance['widget']['settings']['path'] : 'entityreference/autocomplete/single';
-      $element['target_id'] = array(
+      $element['target_id'] = $element + array(
         '#type' => 'textfield',
         '#maxlength' => 1024,
         '#default_value' => implode(', ', $entity_labels),