All 3 Uses

speculate
in
Ferris Beach
(Edited)

My own speculations were trite in comparison.
Chpt 10

speculations = thoughts
We had all laughed about it, speculated on who those mean boys were and then...
Chpt 18 *

speculated = wondered or guessed
By late morning we began getting ready for the afternoon meal, while my father tuned in to the parade on TV and speculated as to whether or not a sniper could conceal himself under a big plastic flap and ride atop the huge Snoopy balloon.
Chpt 21

speculated = wondered aloud

Definitions:

(1) (speculate as in: don't know, but I'll speculate)
to think about, wonder, guess or theorize with much uncertainty
(2) (speculate as in: speculate in the stock market)
to take a risk for profit--typically a risky investment
(3) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
Much more rarely, speculation can refer to a gambling card game that was popular in the past.