Question: I want to tell someone the following:  

"I bring an e-reader with me on the bus every day so that I have something to do during my commute to work."  

Does the phrase "commute to work" clearly refer to the trip there **and** the trip back from work? Or is it more proper to say "commute to and from work" in order to ensure that it is clear that I mean both directions?

Answer: 
Using the word 'to' adds a sense of direction (that being towards place of work).

I would use:

> 
> "my daily commute"
> 
> 
> 

since the word [commute](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commuting) already describes the travel between work.
"Commute to work" does imply, as you suggest, your morning trip in the direction towards work. It is not obvious that it refers to both directions.

The first definition of ['to' in the OALD](http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/to) is:

> 
> (1) in the direction of something; towards something  
> 
> *I walked to the office.*
> 
> 
> 

Many other meanings are similar: the word that follows "to" will usually be understood to be the second half of a comparison, or the item that an action is directed toward. So, you are correct that 

> 
> My commute to and from work
> 
> 
> 

would be a clearer way to state this. You might also say, "my commute," if you don't mind a little ambiguity (a listener will have to determine from context whether you mean your commute in general or a specific direction), or "my morning and evening commute."