Because both circles are tangent to the same spot, the centers of the circles and the point of tangency form a line. There are two distances: one where both circles are on the same side, or where the circles are on seperate sides.
If the two circles are on the same side, the distance would be 8 - 3 = $\boxed5$
If the two circles are on different sides, the distance would be 8 + 3 = $\boxed{11}$
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