Inclination to use poles (5)
I believe the answer is:
slope
'inclination' is the definition.
(slope is a kind of inclination)
'use poles' is the wordplay.
'use' is an anagram indicator.
'poles' with letters rearranged gives 'SLOPE'.
'to' is the link.
(Other definitions for slope that I've seen before include "Tilt with poles" , "See 28" , "bank" , "Slant" , "Poles for gradient" .)