A series of Co/Si/(Co/Cu/Co) multilayers and Co/Si/Co sandwiches were prepared by high vacuum electron-beam evaporation. It was found that a Si spacer (≥0.9nm) could greatly decrease the interlayer coupling in Co/Si/Co sandwiches and there was no magnetoresistance(MR) or spin-valve MR in them due to the high resistivity of Si spacer. While in Co/Si/(Co/Cu/Co) multilayers, we observed a spin-valve MR of about 0.5% through a nominal 2.7nm Si spacer at room temperature. The spin-valve MR in Co/Si/(Co/Cu/Co) multilayers was attributed to the enhanced spin polarization of conduction electrons caused by the top Co/Cu/Co sandwich with GMR mechanism and high spin-dependent scattering at Co/Cu interface.