diff --git a/src/go/types/methodset.go b/src/go/types/methodset.go
index aacbb0f82a3..c34d732b7ac 100644
--- a/src/go/types/methodset.go
+++ b/src/go/types/methodset.go
@@ -99,8 +99,8 @@ func NewMethodSet(T Type) *MethodSet {
 	for len(current) > 0 {
 		var next []embeddedType // embedded types found at current depth
 
-		// field and method sets at current depth, allocated lazily
-		var fset fieldSet
+		// field and method sets at current depth, indexed by names (Id's), and allocated lazily
+		var fset map[string]bool // we only care about the field names
 		var mset methodSet
 
 		for _, e := range current {
@@ -131,7 +131,10 @@ func NewMethodSet(T Type) *MethodSet {
 			switch t := typ.(type) {
 			case *Struct:
 				for i, f := range t.fields {
-					fset = fset.add(f, e.multiples)
+					if fset == nil {
+						fset = make(map[string]bool)
+					}
+					fset[f.Id()] = true
 
 					// Embedded fields are always of the form T or *T where
 					// T is a type name. If typ appeared multiple times at
@@ -156,7 +159,7 @@ func NewMethodSet(T Type) *MethodSet {
 		for k, m := range mset {
 			if _, found := base[k]; !found {
 				// Fields collide with methods of the same name at this depth.
-				if _, found := fset[k]; found {
+				if fset[k] {
 					m = nil // collision
 				}
 				if base == nil {
@@ -166,9 +169,8 @@ func NewMethodSet(T Type) *MethodSet {
 			}
 		}
 
-		// Add all fields at this depth as collisions (since they will hide any
-		// method further down) to base if no entries with matching names exist
-		// already.
+		// Add all (remaining) fields at this depth as collisions (since they will
+		// hide any method further down) if no entries with matching names exist already.
 		for k := range fset {
 			if _, found := base[k]; !found {
 				if base == nil {
@@ -205,30 +207,6 @@ func NewMethodSet(T Type) *MethodSet {
 	return &MethodSet{list}
 }
 
-// A fieldSet is a set of fields and name collisions.
-// A collision indicates that multiple fields with the
-// same unique id appeared.
-type fieldSet map[string]*Var // a nil entry indicates a name collision
-
-// Add adds field f to the field set s.
-// If multiples is set, f appears multiple times
-// and is treated as a collision.
-func (s fieldSet) add(f *Var, multiples bool) fieldSet {
-	if s == nil {
-		s = make(fieldSet)
-	}
-	key := f.Id()
-	// if f is not in the set, add it
-	if !multiples {
-		if _, found := s[key]; !found {
-			s[key] = f
-			return s
-		}
-	}
-	s[key] = nil // collision
-	return s
-}
-
 // A methodSet is a set of methods and name collisions.
 // A collision indicates that multiple methods with the
 // same unique id, or a field with that id appeared.