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: 
No, it does not clearly refer to the trip both ways. I would understand it to be only the trip to work, or possibly to be unspecific about whether the return trip is included. If you need to be clear on this, you would have to specify that you actually mean both ways.
"Commute" does have the meaning of [going and coming back:](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/commute)

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> to travel regularly over some distance, *as from a suburb into a city and back*: He commutes to work by train.
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However, it wouldn't be very clear. Not a lot of people know this. A better alternative is:

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> I bring an e-reader with me everyday so that I can have something to do when I journey to work to and fro.
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