A new adsorbent for heavy metal removal was successfully prepared in this paper. Such prepared adsorbent has not only the wormhole like mesopore structure with large surface area and pore volume, but also the superparamagnetic character. These features make it an effective and convenient adsorbent for heavy metal removal. The adsorption kinetics abides by pseudo second order kinetic equation. The adsorption process could be well described by intraparticle diffusion model and the adsorption rate of heavy metals on this adsorbent was mainly controlled by the diffusion rate within the pore. The adsorption process fitted well with Langmuir isotherm. The prepared adsorbent performed better in neutral pH condition, and was stable in strong acid and alkaline condition. This adsorbent could be used in different water sources such as river water, lake water, groundwater and tap water. The presence of coexisting heavy metal ions avail heavy metal adsorption. In conclusion, this thiol functionalized magnetic mesoporous silica is a promising adsorbent for heavy metal removal from water.