diff --git a/lib/base/VariableResolver.js b/lib/base/VariableResolver.js
index 53611bc..a5e0523 100644
--- a/lib/base/VariableResolver.js
+++ b/lib/base/VariableResolver.js
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import { getBusinessObject, is } from 'bpmn-js/lib/util/ModelUtil';
 import CachedValue from './util/CachedValue';
 import { getParents, getScope } from './util/scopeUtil';
-import { uniqueBy } from 'min-dash';
 
 /**
  * @typedef {Object} AdditionalVariable
@@ -17,6 +16,7 @@ import { uniqueBy } from 'min-dash';
  * @typedef {AdditionalVariable} ProcessVariable
  * @property {Array<ModdleElement>} origin
  * @property {ModdleElement} scope
+ * @property {Array<Object>} provider
  */
 
 /**
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ export class BaseVariableResolver {
   }
 
   /**
-   * To be implemented by super class. This should be an instance of `getProcessVariables` from `@bpmn-io/extract-process-variables`,
+   * To be implemented by a subclass. This should be an instance of `getProcessVariables` from `@bpmn-io/extract-process-variables`,
    * either C7 or C8.
    *
    * @returns {Promise<Array<ProcessVariable>>}
@@ -258,24 +258,40 @@ export class BaseVariableResolver {
     const root = getRootElement(bo);
     const allVariables = await this.getProcessVariables(root);
 
-    // keep only unique variables based on name property
-    const uniqueVariables = uniqueBy('name', allVariables.reverse());
-
     // (1) get variables for given scope
-    var scopeVariables = uniqueVariables.filter(function(variable) {
+    var scopeVariables = allVariables.filter(function(variable) {
       return variable.scope.id === bo.id;
     });
 
     // (2) get variables for parent scopes
     var parents = getParents(bo);
 
-    var parentsScopeVariables = uniqueVariables.filter(function(variable) {
+    var parentsScopeVariables = allVariables.filter(function(variable) {
       return parents.find(function(parent) {
         return parent.id === variable.scope.id;
       });
     });
 
-    return [ ...scopeVariables, ...parentsScopeVariables ];
+    const reversedVariables = [ ...scopeVariables, ...parentsScopeVariables ].reverse();
+
+    const seenNames = new Set();
+
+    return reversedVariables.filter(variable => {
+
+      // if external variable, keep
+      if (variable.provider.find(extractor => extractor !== this._baseExtractor)) {
+        return true;
+      }
+
+      // if not external, keep only the first occurrence of each name
+      if (!seenNames.has(variable.name)) {
+        seenNames.add(variable.name);
+
+        return true;
+      }
+
+      return false;
+    });
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/test/fixtures/zeebe/simple.bpmn b/test/fixtures/zeebe/simple.bpmn
index e77e398..af26a56 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/zeebe/simple.bpmn
+++ b/test/fixtures/zeebe/simple.bpmn
@@ -1,37 +1,49 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
-<bpmn:definitions xmlns:bpmn="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/MODEL" xmlns:bpmndi="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/DI" xmlns:dc="http://www.omg.org/spec/DD/20100524/DC" xmlns:di="http://www.omg.org/spec/DD/20100524/DI" xmlns:modeler="http://camunda.org/schema/modeler/1.0" id="Definitions_0uo7yqr" targetNamespace="http://bpmn.io/schema/bpmn" exporter="Camunda Modeler" exporterVersion="5.5.1" modeler:executionPlatform="Camunda Cloud" modeler:executionPlatformVersion="8.1.0">
+<bpmn:definitions xmlns:bpmn="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/MODEL" xmlns:bpmndi="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/DI" xmlns:dc="http://www.omg.org/spec/DD/20100524/DC" xmlns:di="http://www.omg.org/spec/DD/20100524/DI" xmlns:modeler="http://camunda.org/schema/modeler/1.0" id="Definitions_0uo7yqr" targetNamespace="http://bpmn.io/schema/bpmn" exporter="Camunda Modeler" exporterVersion="5.37.0" modeler:executionPlatform="Camunda Cloud" modeler:executionPlatformVersion="8.1.0">
   <bpmn:process id="Process_1" isExecutable="true">
-    <bpmn:startEvent id="StartEvent_1">
-      <bpmn:outgoing>Flow_16gvdav</bpmn:outgoing>
-    </bpmn:startEvent>
-    <bpmn:sequenceFlow id="Flow_16gvdav" sourceRef="StartEvent_1" targetRef="ServiceTask_1" />
     <bpmn:endEvent id="Event_0ld1d1y">
-      <bpmn:incoming>Flow_0elge1o</bpmn:incoming>
+      <bpmn:incoming>Flow_00zecls</bpmn:incoming>
     </bpmn:endEvent>
-    <bpmn:sequenceFlow id="Flow_0elge1o" sourceRef="ServiceTask_1" targetRef="Event_0ld1d1y" />
+    <bpmn:sequenceFlow id="Flow_00zecls" sourceRef="ServiceTask_2" targetRef="Event_0ld1d1y" />
+    <bpmn:sequenceFlow id="Flow_0elge1o" sourceRef="ServiceTask_1" targetRef="ServiceTask_2" />
+    <bpmn:sequenceFlow id="Flow_16gvdav" sourceRef="StartEvent_1" targetRef="ServiceTask_1" />
     <bpmn:serviceTask id="ServiceTask_1">
       <bpmn:incoming>Flow_16gvdav</bpmn:incoming>
       <bpmn:outgoing>Flow_0elge1o</bpmn:outgoing>
     </bpmn:serviceTask>
+    <bpmn:serviceTask id="ServiceTask_2">
+      <bpmn:incoming>Flow_0elge1o</bpmn:incoming>
+      <bpmn:outgoing>Flow_00zecls</bpmn:outgoing>
+    </bpmn:serviceTask>
+    <bpmn:startEvent id="StartEvent_1">
+      <bpmn:outgoing>Flow_16gvdav</bpmn:outgoing>
+    </bpmn:startEvent>
   </bpmn:process>
   <bpmndi:BPMNDiagram id="BPMNDiagram_1">
     <bpmndi:BPMNPlane id="BPMNPlane_1" bpmnElement="Process_1">
       <bpmndi:BPMNShape id="_BPMNShape_StartEvent_2" bpmnElement="StartEvent_1">
         <dc:Bounds x="179" y="99" width="36" height="36" />
       </bpmndi:BPMNShape>
-      <bpmndi:BPMNShape id="Event_0ld1d1y_di" bpmnElement="Event_0ld1d1y">
-        <dc:Bounds x="432" y="99" width="36" height="36" />
-      </bpmndi:BPMNShape>
       <bpmndi:BPMNShape id="Activity_10piuzo_di" bpmnElement="ServiceTask_1">
         <dc:Bounds x="270" y="77" width="100" height="80" />
       </bpmndi:BPMNShape>
+      <bpmndi:BPMNShape id="Event_0ld1d1y_di" bpmnElement="Event_0ld1d1y">
+        <dc:Bounds x="582" y="99" width="36" height="36" />
+      </bpmndi:BPMNShape>
+      <bpmndi:BPMNShape id="Activity_0otfqm7_di" bpmnElement="ServiceTask_2">
+        <dc:Bounds x="420" y="77" width="100" height="80" />
+      </bpmndi:BPMNShape>
       <bpmndi:BPMNEdge id="Flow_16gvdav_di" bpmnElement="Flow_16gvdav">
         <di:waypoint x="215" y="117" />
         <di:waypoint x="270" y="117" />
       </bpmndi:BPMNEdge>
       <bpmndi:BPMNEdge id="Flow_0elge1o_di" bpmnElement="Flow_0elge1o">
         <di:waypoint x="370" y="117" />
-        <di:waypoint x="432" y="117" />
+        <di:waypoint x="420" y="117" />
+      </bpmndi:BPMNEdge>
+      <bpmndi:BPMNEdge id="Flow_00zecls_di" bpmnElement="Flow_00zecls">
+        <di:waypoint x="520" y="117" />
+        <di:waypoint x="582" y="117" />
       </bpmndi:BPMNEdge>
     </bpmndi:BPMNPlane>
   </bpmndi:BPMNDiagram>
diff --git a/test/spec/zeebe/ZeebeVariableResolver.spec.js b/test/spec/zeebe/ZeebeVariableResolver.spec.js
index 2890534..b797f0d 100644
--- a/test/spec/zeebe/ZeebeVariableResolver.spec.js
+++ b/test/spec/zeebe/ZeebeVariableResolver.spec.js
@@ -365,7 +365,7 @@ describe('ZeebeVariableResolver', function() {
     );
 
 
-    it('should merge variables of same scope', inject(async function(variableResolver, elementRegistry) {
+    it('should merge variables of same scope and same name', inject(async function(variableResolver, elementRegistry) {
 
       // given
       const root = elementRegistry.get('Process_1');
@@ -385,7 +385,44 @@ describe('ZeebeVariableResolver', function() {
       const variables = await variableResolver.getVariablesForElement(root);
 
       // then
-      expect(variables).to.variableEqual([ { name: 'foo', type: 'String', scope: 'Process_1', origin: [ 'ServiceTask_1', 'Process_1' ] } ]);
+      expect(variables).to.variableEqual([
+        { name: 'foo', type: 'String', scope: 'Process_1', origin: [ 'ServiceTask_1', 'Process_1' ] }
+      ]);
+    }));
+
+
+    it('should not merge variables of different scopes and same name', inject(async function(variableResolver, elementRegistry) {
+
+      // given
+      const serviceTask1 = elementRegistry.get('ServiceTask_1'),
+            serviceTask2 = elementRegistry.get('ServiceTask_2');
+
+      createProvider({
+        variables: [ { name: 'foo', type: 'String', scope: serviceTask1 } ],
+        variableResolver,
+        origin: 'ServiceTask_1'
+      });
+      createProvider({
+        variables: [ { name: 'foo', type: 'String', scope: serviceTask2 } ],
+        variableResolver,
+        origin: 'ServiceTask_2'
+      });
+
+      // when
+      let variables = await variableResolver.getVariablesForElement(serviceTask1);
+
+      // then
+      expect(variables).to.variableEqual([
+        { name: 'foo', type: 'String', scope: 'ServiceTask_1', origin: [ 'ServiceTask_1' ] },
+      ]);
+
+      // when
+      variables = await variableResolver.getVariablesForElement(serviceTask2);
+
+      // then
+      expect(variables).to.variableEqual([
+        { name: 'foo', type: 'String', scope: 'ServiceTask_2', origin: [ 'ServiceTask_2' ] },
+      ]);
     }));