In recent years, the physics education community has embraced embodied cognition perspectives to further explore the role of metaphors in the teaching and learning of physics. While researchers seem to agree on the crucial cognitive value of metaphors that can aid scientific inquiry, their instructional potential in physics education is not yet fully realized. In this paper, we first review the many roles of metaphors in learning and doing physics. Synthesizing insights from physics education research and the history and philosophy of science, we then suggest how the explicit use of metaphors can improve instructional practices in physics education.