Can u paint over wood paneling but make it look like u haven't painted

Not really. Either you go total coverage (white?) or you do a whitewash-type coverage,,,either way the old paneling will look fresh and nice!

You could try a plaster type finish, but not sure how that would work. Caulk in the seams would keep it from having the lines show

I had a home that had lots of paneling, it was in good shape and there wasn't a need to remove it so my brother-in-law used the spackling mud that's used for drywall to cover up all the lines and smoothed it all out, then painted the walls and they are smooth just like drywall. I'm not sure of all the details since he did it for me but maybe you can look it up. And good luck.

How about staining it for a more natural look?

My whole house is paneling. I painted the whole thing. I have found if you use cheap flat paint as a primer first then you use less of you the color you want. I tried using cans of texture spray. It was ok but more expensive and didn't really get rid of lines completely. I guess the mud idea would work but you would have to make sure to sand it down. A lot of work in my opinion. Bottom line after you paint it, the lines become less noticeable just with paint alone. Just pick your color and go for it.

If you apply paint to it the paneling will look painted. However, if you just want to change the color and keep the wood look, then try sanding and applying a new stain color.

You sure can! Done right it will look like normal painted walls.

Use acrylic latex paint. Prime with a stain blocking primer like Zinsser 123. Then paint with your color.If the paneling has grooves you can fill then with drywall patching compound. Let that dry overnight. Next day go over the patch with a damp sponge to smooth it out.