# If you'd like to omit non-matching lines from the result; add ';d' to the end of the expression.
sed -E 's/\*([^*]+)\*/<span style="background:#FFFF00;">$1<\/span>/gm;t' <<< "<vocabulario id=\"01\">
<nota>I got *something* for you</nota>
</vocabulario>
<vocabulario id=\"02\">
<nota>This *gift* is for you</nota>
</vocabulario>
<vocabulario id=\"01\">
<nota>I got *something* for you</nota>
</vocabulario>
<vocabulario id=\"03\">
<nota>Nice *ball*</nota>
</vocabulario>"
Please keep in mind that these code samples are automatically generated and are not guaranteed to work. If you find any syntax errors, feel free to submit a bug report. For a full regex reference for SED, please visit: https://www.gnu.org/software/sed/manual/html_node/The-_0022s_0022-Command.html