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Frankly, I think our search for an answer to your question has reached an impasse. Had God wanted us to know of a certainty that Jesus' audience for his remarks about being lifted up understood at that time the implication of Jesus' words, he would have told us. As things stand, we may need to leave your questions unanswered.

See footnote at the end of this answer, which I added on July 3, 2020

Frankly, I think our search for an answer to your question has reached an impasse. Had God wanted us to know of a certainty that Jesus' audience for his remarks about being lifted up understood at that time the implication of Jesus' words, he would have told us. As things stand, we may need to leave your questions unanswered.

FOOTNOTE

Notice in John 12:34, the crowd evidently associated the phrase "lifted up" with death. Their words: “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

The contrast inherent in their question involves the phrase "lifted up"--meaning death, and "remain forever"--meaning not dying. In other words, the crowd thought the true Messiah would live forever, but Jesus, whom they thought to be a false Messiah, was telling them in effect, "No, the 'living forever' part will happen only after I am crucified."

In living the Christian life, we know that our exaltation does not come before our humiliation, which involves a lifetime of dying to self as we take up our cross daily and follow Christ's example (Luke 9:23). We "humble ourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that in due time we will be exalted" (1 Peter 5:6).

After the Father granted Jesus' request to glorify his (i.e., the Father's) name and spoke to Jesus audibly from heaven, John tells us in verse 29,

"So the crowd of people who stood by and heart it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, 'An angel has spoken to Him'" (my emphasis).

Regardless of the composition and demographics of the crowd, the Jews in the audience would possibly have associated Jesus' words in v.32, "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself," with the story of Moses and the brass serpent in Numbers 26:6-9. Jesus also alluded to the serpent in his conversation with Nicodemus, recorded in John 3:

After the Father granted Jesus' request to glorify the Father's name and spoke to Jesus audibly from heaven, John tells us in verse 29,

"So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, 'An angel has spoken to Him'" (my emphasis).

Regardless of the composition and demographics of the crowd, the Jews in the audience would possibly have associated Jesus' words in v.32, "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself," with the story of Moses and the brass serpent in Numbers 26:6-9. Jesus also alluded to the serpent in his conversation with Nicodemus, recorded in John 3:

• To whom was Jesus speaking in 12:32?

 
• Was he still addressing the Greeks who approached Philip hoping he would take them to Jesus? It's quite possible Jesus didn't speak to the Greeks at all, and that his remarks were addressed only to Philip and Andrew (i.e., the "them" of v.23 in the NASB).

• To whom was Jesus speaking in 12:32?

• Was he still addressing the Greeks who approached Philip hoping he would take them to Jesus? It's quite possible Jesus didn't speak to the Greeks at all, and that his remarks were addressed only to Philip and Andrew (i.e., the "them" of v.23 in the NASB).