The term measuring means is considered in connection with its usage for the purpose of legal and applied metrology. The service of the State for attribution of technical means to measuring instruments is discussed. It is not provided with definite and clear interpretation of this term but based on personal opinions of experts. It is recommended to suspend usage of the term measuring means and use instead the terms given in International Vocabulary for Metrology in revised translation. The procedures verification of measuring means and calibration of measuring instruments are compared. Only the second one provides the metrological traceability of the results to appropriate references including national and international etalons.