なんでレポートをおくりましたか can mean:

  1. What did you send the report by (I send the report by fax according to my textbook) or
  2. Why did you send the report (according to google translate)
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2023-01-20T11:43:29.497
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question
grammar
Why does the phrase なんでレポートをおくりましたか have 2 kinds of meaning according to my textbook
なんで is an informal interrogative that normally means the same thing as どうして
("why"), so Google's translation is the natural interpretation of that
sentence. However, as [this dictionary
entry](https://jisho.org/word/%E4%BD%95%E3%81%A7) explains, なんで sometimes
means the same thing as なにで ("how; by what means"), too.

Since this can be confusing even to native speakers, in reality, なんで does not
mean "by what means" very often. To say "by what means", なにで is preferred most
of the time.

  * **なんで** そこへ行くの？  
Why do you go there? (Usual interpretation)  
How do you go there? (Uncommon interpretation)

  * **なにで** そこへ行くの？  
(= どうやってそこへ行くの？)  
How do you go there? (By bus? By train?)
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answer