FBinNY 

If the hole was made by something sharp and pointy like a nail, then odds are it pushed cords apart as it entered rather than cutting many. In that case, treat it the same as you would a nail through the tread, with some duck tape or a regular patch on the inside so the tube doesn't chafe against it.

OTOH - if it's a cut, like from a piece of glass or stone, and visibly has cut the wall (the fabric, not the rubber cover), then you have to make up the lost strength or the cut will spread when the tire in at full pressure. This is when you want a boot. I don't use cut up tires, and instead use scraps cut from old jeans or bed sheets. When you're ready to use one, cut it on the bias to the right size (so the threads run diagonally). Then coat the tire in vulcanizing solution, and likewise one side of the boot. Let both dry completely and apply lining it up so the threads match the tire's at 45° to the line of roll.

I make my boots generously oversize, and apply them wrapped under the bead so they will be trapped by the rim, and big enough to extend under the tread to the opposite wall. The large area, ensures that the tube and rim help keep it home in case my glue fails. Tires I've booted this way with old bed sheets have outlasted the tire. "Stitching" the boot down with the rim of a cup also helps make a better bond.

Hint -- after the repair is done and cured, powder it well to help prevent the tube from getting glued to the tire.