diff -u b/core/modules/layout_builder/src/Annotation/SectionStorage.php b/core/modules/layout_builder/src/Annotation/SectionStorage.php
--- b/core/modules/layout_builder/src/Annotation/SectionStorage.php
+++ b/core/modules/layout_builder/src/Annotation/SectionStorage.php
@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@
   /**
    * The plugin weight.
    *
+   * When an entity with layout is rendered, section storage plugins are
+   * checked, in order of their weight, to determine which one should be used
+   * to render the layout.
+   *
    * @var int
    */
   public $weight = 0;
@@ -32,6 +36,12 @@
   /**
    * Any required context definitions.
    *
+   * When an entity with layout is rendered, all section storage plugins which
+   * match a particular set of contexts are checked, in order of their weight,
+   * to determine which plugin should be used to render the layout.
+   *
+   * @see \Drupal\layout_builder\Entity\LayoutBuilderEntityViewDisplay::getRuntimeSections()
+   *
    * @var array
    */
   public $context = [];
diff -u b/core/modules/layout_builder/src/Entity/LayoutBuilderEntityViewDisplay.php b/core/modules/layout_builder/src/Entity/LayoutBuilderEntityViewDisplay.php
--- b/core/modules/layout_builder/src/Entity/LayoutBuilderEntityViewDisplay.php
+++ b/core/modules/layout_builder/src/Entity/LayoutBuilderEntityViewDisplay.php
@@ -244,6 +244,7 @@
     if ($this->isOverridable()) {
       $contexts = [
         'entity' => new Context(ContextDefinition::create('entity'), $entity),
+        'view_mode' => new Context(ContextDefinition::create('string'), $this->getMode()),
       ];
 
       /** @var \Drupal\layout_builder\SectionStorage\SectionStorageManagerInterface $storage_manager */
@@ -254,12 +255,14 @@
       $storage_types = array_keys($storage_manager->getDefinitionsForContexts($contexts));
 
       // Loop through every section storage plugin until we find one that
-      // derives a valid section list from the context values.
+      // derives a section list from the context values.
       while (empty($section_list) && $storage_types) {
         $storage_type = array_shift($storage_types);
 
         $storage = $storage_manager->loadEmpty($storage_type);
-        $storage->setContext('entity', $contexts['entity']);
+        foreach ($contexts as $context_name => $context) {
+          $storage->setContext($context_name, $context);
+        }
         $section_list = $storage->getSectionListFromContext();
       }
     }
diff -u b/core/modules/layout_builder/tests/modules/layout_builder_test/layout_builder_test.module b/core/modules/layout_builder/tests/modules/layout_builder_test/layout_builder_test.module
--- b/core/modules/layout_builder/tests/modules/layout_builder_test/layout_builder_test.module
+++ b/core/modules/layout_builder/tests/modules/layout_builder_test/layout_builder_test.module
@@ -69,2 +69,5 @@
   $storages['overrides']->set('weight', -10);
+
+  $storages['overrides_heavy'] = clone $storages['overrides'];
+  $storages['overrides_heavy']->set('weight', -8);
 }
diff -u b/core/modules/layout_builder/tests/modules/layout_builder_test/src/Plugin/SectionStorage/OverridesSectionStorage.php b/core/modules/layout_builder/tests/modules/layout_builder_test/src/Plugin/SectionStorage/OverridesSectionStorage.php
--- b/core/modules/layout_builder/tests/modules/layout_builder_test/src/Plugin/SectionStorage/OverridesSectionStorage.php
+++ b/core/modules/layout_builder/tests/modules/layout_builder_test/src/Plugin/SectionStorage/OverridesSectionStorage.php
@@ -10,7 +10,10 @@
    * {@inheritdoc}
    */
   public function getSectionListFromContext() {
-    \Drupal::state()->set('layout_builder_test_context_applied', TRUE);
+    \Drupal::state()->set('layout_builder_test_storage', [
+      $this->getPluginDefinition()->get('weight'),
+      $this->getContextValue('view_mode'),
+    ]);
     return parent::getSectionListFromContext();
   }
 
diff -u b/core/modules/layout_builder/tests/src/Functional/LayoutBuilderTest.php b/core/modules/layout_builder/tests/src/Functional/LayoutBuilderTest.php
--- b/core/modules/layout_builder/tests/src/Functional/LayoutBuilderTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/layout_builder/tests/src/Functional/LayoutBuilderTest.php
@@ -531,7 +531,7 @@
    * Tests that section loading is delegated to plugins during rendering.
    */
   public function testRenderByContextualPluginDelegate() {
-    $state_key = 'layout_builder_test_context_applied';
+    $state_key = 'layout_builder_test_storage';
     /** @var \Drupal\Core\State\StateInterface $state */
     $state = $this->container->get('state');
 
@@ -545,17 +545,13 @@
 
     $this->getSession()->reload();
     $state->resetCache();
-    $this->assertTrue($state->get($state_key));
-
-    // Test that plugin weights are respected.
-    /** @var \Drupal\layout_builder\SectionStorage\SectionStorageDefinition[] $definitions */
-    $definitions = $this->container
-      ->get('plugin.manager.layout_builder.section_storage')
-      ->getDefinitions();
-
-    $this->assertSame('overrides', key($definitions));
-    $this->assertSame(-10, $definitions['overrides']->get('weight'));
-    $this->assertSame(0, $definitions['defaults']->get('weight'));
+    // During layout rendering, the storage plugin used for testing will set the
+    // state key to an array containing the plugin weight and view mode, which
+    // proves that the plugin matched the appropriate contexts and was actually
+    // used to render the layout.
+    list ($weight, $view_mode) = $state->get($state_key);
+    $this->assertSame(-10, $weight);
+    $this->assertSame('full', $view_mode);
   }
 
 }