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Although it is known that intrinsic motivation has a significant impact on individuals’ innovative work behaviour, there is still an unresolved gap in the literature in terms of examining the relationship between intrinsic motivations, innovative work behaviour and psychological mechanism such as meaningful work, especially in the education system. Thus, this study sought to explore the mediating effect of meaningful work in the relationship between intrinsic motivation and innovative work behaviour in public schools. The study adopted a quantitative approach, and a survey instrument was used to collect data. A sample of 309 participated in this study; and these included teachers in public schools in Northeast, Nigeria. PLS-SEM was performed to analyze the data, and the results confirmed that meaningful work mediated the relationship between intrinsic motivation and teachers’ innovative work behaviour. Since meaningful work was identified as a significant predictor, school administrators and educational reformers can develop jobs in which teachers can relate their purpose to their work. This will consequently promote intrinsic motivation and encourage teachers to engage in self-initiated innovative behaviour. It is recommended that future research may apply this model to different contexts and settings.