The words "tent of meeting" were used to talk about a tent where God met with Moses before the tabernacle was built (see: Exodus 33:7-11). The tent of meeting was set up outside the camp of the Israelites. People went to the tent of meeting to ask God for something. A cloud would be at the entrance of the tent when Moses went into it to talk to God. The cloud was a sign of God’s presence. This temporary tent was no longer needed after the Israelites built the tabernacle.
Sometimes the words “tent of meeting” were used to talk about the tabernacle (see: Exodus 39:32; 40:2).