* Verb: When "tells" is used to describe an action, it is a verb. For example: "She tells a funny story."
* Noun: In some cases, "tells" can be a noun, usually referring to a specific type of story or narrative. For example: "The detective was looking for any tells that would betray the suspect's guilt."
To determine the part of speech of "tells" in a specific sentence, you need to look at how it is used in the sentence.