diff --git a/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py b/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py
index 2aa7ff661a..ebb8db2641 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ class Play(object):
                     plugin_name = k[5:]
                     if plugin_name not in utils.plugins.lookup_loader:
                         raise errors.AnsibleError("cannot find lookup plugin named %s for usage in with_%s" % (plugin_name, plugin_name))
-                    terms = utils.varReplaceWithItems(self.basedir, x[k], task_vars)
+                    terms = utils.template_ds(self.basedir, x[k], task_vars)
                     items = utils.plugins.lookup_loader.get(plugin_name, basedir=self.basedir, runner=None).run(terms, inject=task_vars)
 
                 for item in items:
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ class Play(object):
                     mv['item'] = item
                     for t in tokens[1:]:
                         (k,v) = t.split("=", 1)
-                        mv[k] = utils.varReplaceWithItems(self.basedir, v, mv)
+                        mv[k] = utils.template_ds(self.basedir, v, mv)
                     include_file = utils.template(self.basedir, tokens[0], mv)
                     data = utils.parse_yaml_from_file(utils.path_dwim(self.basedir, include_file))
                     for y in data:
diff --git a/lib/ansible/runner/__init__.py b/lib/ansible/runner/__init__.py
index f7e7d6e1c5..96398d0c09 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/runner/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/runner/__init__.py
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ class Runner(object):
         items_plugin = self.module_vars.get('items_lookup_plugin', None)
         if items_plugin is not None and items_plugin in utils.plugins.lookup_loader:
             items_terms = self.module_vars.get('items_lookup_terms', '')
-            items_terms = utils.varReplaceWithItems(self.basedir, items_terms, inject)
+            items_terms = utils.template_ds(self.basedir, items_terms, inject)
             items = utils.plugins.lookup_loader.get(items_plugin, runner=self, basedir=self.basedir).run(items_terms, inject=inject)
             if type(items) != list:
                 raise errors.AnsibleError("lookup plugins have to return a list: %r" % items)
diff --git a/lib/ansible/utils/template.py b/lib/ansible/utils/template.py
index dd39b56bb5..30afe5a34a 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/utils/template.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/utils/template.py
@@ -177,8 +177,8 @@ def _varReplaceFilesAndPipes(basedir, raw, vars):
 
     return ''.join(done)
 
-def varReplaceWithItems(basedir, varname, vars):
-    ''' helper function used by with_items '''
+def template_ds(basedir, varname, vars):
+    ''' templates a data structure by traversing it and substituting for other data structures '''
 
     if isinstance(varname, basestring):
         m = _varFind(varname, vars)
@@ -186,17 +186,17 @@ def varReplaceWithItems(basedir, varname, vars):
             return varname
         if m['start'] == 0 and m['end'] == len(varname):
             if m['replacement'] is not None:
-                return varReplaceWithItems(basedir, m['replacement'], vars)
+                return template_ds(basedir, m['replacement'], vars)
             else:
                 return varname
         else:
             return template(basedir, varname, vars)
     elif isinstance(varname, (list, tuple)):
-        return [varReplaceWithItems(basedir, v, vars) for v in varname]
+        return [template_ds(basedir, v, vars) for v in varname]
     elif isinstance(varname, dict):
         d = {}
         for (k, v) in varname.iteritems():
-            d[k] = varReplaceWithItems(basedir, v, vars)
+            d[k] = template_ds(basedir, v, vars)
         return d
     else:
         return varname
diff --git a/test/TestUtils.py b/test/TestUtils.py
index 33c0418623..b8a2bfa6ef 100644
--- a/test/TestUtils.py
+++ b/test/TestUtils.py
@@ -286,9 +286,9 @@ class TestUtils(unittest.TestCase):
         assert res == u'hello world world'
 
     #####################################
-    ### varReplaceWithItems function tests
+    ### template_ds function tests
 
-    def test_varReplaceWithItems_basic(self):
+    def test_template_ds_basic(self):
         vars = {
             'data': {
                 'var': [
@@ -313,19 +313,19 @@ class TestUtils(unittest.TestCase):
         }
 
         template = '${data.var}'
-        res = ansible.utils.varReplaceWithItems(None, template, vars)
+        res = ansible.utils.template_ds(None, template, vars)
         assert sorted(res) == sorted(vars['data']['var'])
 
         template = '${data.types}'
-        res = ansible.utils.varReplaceWithItems(None, template, vars)
+        res = ansible.utils.template_ds(None, template, vars)
         assert sorted(res) == sorted(vars['data']['types'])
 
         template = '${data.alphas}'
-        res = ansible.utils.varReplaceWithItems(None, template, vars)
+        res = ansible.utils.template_ds(None, template, vars)
         assert sorted(res) == sorted(vars['alphas'])
 
         template = '${data.nonexisting}'
-        res = ansible.utils.varReplaceWithItems(None, template, vars)
+        res = ansible.utils.template_ds(None, template, vars)
         assert res == template
 
     #####################################