The columns feature built into Word enables you to vary the layouts of your documents, but if something goes wrong then it can be difficult to get the end result you want. Switching on hidden formatting symbols (via the pilcrow icon in the Paragraph section of the Home menu tab) can help you assess where the column, section and line breaks are in your document.
Clearing Columns:
In some situations, clearing all column formatting and starting again from scratch is the best way to resolve your issues. Press "Ctrl-A" to select all of the text in your document, then open the Page Layout menu tab and click "Columns." Choose "One" from the drop-down menu. You can also use the Find and Replace dialog to remove all of the column breaks from a document -- choose "More" and then "Special" in the dialog to find the column break option.
Column Settings:
Double-check the column settings you have in place to make sure the formatting is configured as required. Select the section of the text you're working with, then choose "Columns" and "More Columns" from the Page Layout menu tab. The subsequent dialog box enables you to set the number of columns, adjust the space between them and specify the width of each one. You can also add a line between your columns if required, though you can't change its format.
Column Breaks:
By default, Word wraps text from one column to the next based on natural breaks (such as the end of the document or a new section with a different number of columns). This may not give you the flow you want on a page, but you can take more control over the layout by adding a column break -- this forces text to jump to the next column in the section. From the Page Layout menu tab, choose "Breaks" and then "Column" to insert a column break. These breaks work in a similar way to page breaks.
Further Problems:
If your columns still aren't arranged as you wish even after clearing and re-applying your chosen formatting options, show the hidden formatting symbols on screen and look for page, column and section breaks that aren't in the correct position. Adding section breaks via the Breaks drop-down menu under the Page Layout menu tab can help you define where particular columns start and stop. From the Columns dialog box, make sure the "Apply to" drop-down menu is set to "This section" (for selected areas of text), "This point forward" (for the remainder of the document) or "Whole document" (to apply the column settings to the entire document). You may find that using tables (with invisible borders) works better for your need.